Can You Change Jobs While Buying a House?
Yes, you can change jobs while purchasing a home, but it might affect your loan approval. Your employment history is often vital to a mortgage lender, and a change in job could impact the way they view your reliability. Your loan could shift in the middle of the purchase, and the paperwork might get complicated. It is essential that you tell the mortgage company if you change jobs as it can impact their decision on providing the loan.
If you’re moving from a lower-paying job to a higher-paying one, the mortgage lender will view it differently from moving from one company to another for no apparent reason. This choice can have a considerable impact on the future of your payments, so it’s critical you consider the worth of the move before committing.
If your move can wait, you might want to hold off on the shift until after you have the home and the loan. It will serve you better in the long run. If you can’t, continue and be ready to defend.
How Soon Can You Change Jobs After Closing On a House?
You can change jobs as soon as a week after you've closed on a house and moved in. Most of the time, closing on a home means the mortgage is locked in stone, and at that point you can change jobs. However, in some states, the bank can deny a mortgage after closing if they haven't disbursed funds yet. But this only happens within a few days of closing, so if you wait a week to change jobs, you'll be safe. Regardless, it's a good idea to talk with your lender to ensure they know what’s going on in your life if you need to change jobs or if you get fired. The last thing they want is a surprise.
Changing Jobs During the Morgage Process
The mortgage process is a critical part of getting a loan for the home you’re about to invest in. One of the most prominent factors in this application is your job history. If you change jobs before purchasing the house, you will need to communicate that to your lender. It is absolutely essential to let your lender if you want to change jobs while buying a house as it could affect your mortgage application.
1. Changing Jobs After Mortgage Approval
If you change jobs after a mortgage approval, you'll want to communicate that to your lender as soon as possible. Inform them of the change, explain yourself, and provide any letters of recommendation or approval that they might need. Although not recommended, you can change jobs after you get mortgage approval.
Whether anything changes depends on how your lender views the situation. Are you moving into a better job? A worse one? Will you still be able to make the payments on time? Consider the answers to these questions before making the change.
2. Changing Jobs During Mortgage Application
It can be chaotic if you submit your mortgage application and change jobs before the loan is approved. You will need to form a new application based on this new job, and the underwriters need to do more work. It’s possible to lose the loan at this point if the lender thinks you’ve become unreliable.
If you’re set on changing jobs in the middle of the applications, ensure it’s a quality job that will look good to lenders. Don’t mess everything up and request they give you a loan if your new job is worse than the one before.
Changing Jobs While Buying a House Bottom Line
While it's not recommended to change jobs while buying a house, you can do it under certain circumstances. The main thing to remember is that communication is key, so you'll need to inform your mortgage lender that you're switching jobs and provide them with any additional paperwork they require. As long as you stay on top of things and communicate, you'll still be able to close on a mortgage and buy a house while changing jobs.
Changing Jobs While Buying a House FAQs
1. Will Changing Jobs Affect My Mortgage Offer?
Yes, your mortgage offer might be affected if you don’t talk to your lender about changing jobs or getting fired. Be as transparent as possible to keep everything intact as you get a loan. If you have to change jobs, get ready to explain the shift to the person loaning you the money. They might not appreciate the change. However, things should be fine if you explain yourself in full.
2. How Long Do I Have To Be at a Job To Get a Mortgage?
Most of the time, you need to work two years in one space to qualify for a loan. This dedication will prove that you are a reliable individual who can be trusted to make payments on time. If you change jobs, ensure you’re there for at least half a year.
3. What Happens If You Change Jobs Before Closing On a House?
If you change jobs before closing a deal on the house, your loan could suffer. Lenders like to see a stable job relationship. A job change happening very close to closing could cause them to rescind their offer before you can close and finalize the loan and purchase. Therefore, it’s better to hold off on changing jobs until after you have found a place and closed on the loan.
If your job change is urgent and cannot wait, ensure you’re changing jobs for a valid reason. For example, if you want to switch because you’re bored, wait until after you buy the house.
4. Do Lenders Verify Employment on the Day of Closing?
Yes, some lenders will verify your employment on closing day. However, most lenders will check on your employment a bit earlier, usually within about ten days of closing to ensure you’re still at the place you said you worked. This action ensures you remain a trustworthy person to loan money to for a home. If you’ve switched or quit, your mortgage loan might end up falling through.