What about getting a mortgage certificate?

The very first thing you must do before even looking at a property to buy, you must obtain a mortgage certificate, otherwise known as a mortgage promise or an agreement in principle. This is a document from a lender showing how much they will be willing to pay you. These statements only last for a short period of time, usually 3 months, so make you know how long yours lasts for.

It has many advantages being that it demonstrates to the seller that you are a serious and determined buyer, and that you have enough money behind you to purchase the property. It will also speed up the mortgage process later on when you make a formal application because it will already have some of your information on record. You must remember that a mortgage certificate is not a guarantee that the lender will actually give you the money for the property you want to buy. It depends on details such exact details of the property, the outcome of credit checks and the correctness of information you supplied about yourself.