My loan officer says that I can’t apply for a mortgage loan and receive a Loan Estimate until I can provide a copy of a signed purchase contract, is that correct?

The Loan Estimate is a form that went into effect on Oct. 3, 2015.

A purchase contract is a written contractual agreement between the buyer and the seller for the purchase of residential real estate. The Loan Estimate is a form showing the terms and costs for a mortgage loan that you would like to consider.

Learn more about what information you need to provide to a lender in order to apply for a loan and get a Loan Estimate.

See a sample Loan Estimate form with interactive tips and definitions.

Note: You won’t receive a Loan Estimate if you applied for a mortgage prior to Oct. 3, 2015, or if you’re applying for a reverse mortgage. For those loans, you will receive two forms — a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) and an initial Truth-in-Lending disclosure — instead of a Loan Estimate. If you are applying for a HELOC, a manufactured housing loan that is not secured by real estate, or a loan through certain types of homebuyer assistance programs, you will not receive a GFE or a Loan Estimate, but you should receive a Truth-in-Lending disclosure.