Hey everyone, welcome to this week's bonus episode of Money Girl with me, your host, Laura Adams.

In this show, I answer one of your questions, so keep sending them in. You can ask me about

anything related to personal finances, running a small business,

being an author, podcaster, or spokesperson. You'll find my contact information at laura d.adams.com.

Or you can leave me a voicemail by calling 302-364-0308.

I hope to hear from you and feature your question here soon. Today, I'm going to be covering a question that came in from Pat. Pat says, I just relocated to a suburb of Tampa for a new job and signed a six-month lease. I have family in the area and would like to eventually buy a home

and stay here for the foreseeable future. But I'm unsure how much I can afford and how the mortgage

process works. How far in advance should I contact a lender and get pre-approved for a mortgage?

Pat, thank you so much for this

question, and congratulations on your new job and finding a place where you want to put down

some roots. Buying a home is a big commitment, and so it's wise to take your time and get

fully prepared before starting your search, so I'm really glad you asked this question.

This podcast will answer Pat's question by talking about the benefits of getting a mortgage

pre-approval and what to expect when buying a home. Whether you're a first-timer or an experienced

homeowner, you'll learn tips to cut the cost of buying real estate and expensive

mistakes to avoid. So again, welcome back to Money Girl. This is episode 943. So we have a huge

archive of podcast on just about every financial topic that you can think of. You can learn more,

ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter

called The Money Stack when you visit laura d adams.com. All right, let's talk about a mortgage

pre-approval. Getting a mortgage per approval is the first step in forming a relationship with a lender

and securing financing for a new home. A pre-approval is when a lender

or a mortgage broker reviews all your finances to determine if you qualify for a mortgage and if you

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