First things first

Your property information

If are using your home as equity for a refinance home mortgage loan, be ready with documents proving your ownership. Lenders will ask for this evidence before taking any further step in the loan process. Give them a certified true copy of the contract or the purchase agreement.

Your income and assets

Lenders always want to know if the borrower is a good risk for a refinance home mortgage. With this in mind, prepare all your pay stubs for the past 30 days. You'll get in their good graces if you have your W-2s ready. A neat file of W-2s in chronological sequence is proof of your stability in the income department.

Pairing this with a list of your previous employers with their corresponding addresses is an indication that you have a good record. Borrowers will appreciate this because they can contact them for a background check, if that is the case.

Get hold of all your banks' statements, investment accounts and mutual fund for the past three months. Be ready to explain large deposits. If these are gifts, make a copy of the signed gift letter, gift check and copy of the deposit slip.

You have to show your corporate or partnership tax returns if you own more than 1/4 of a business interest. If self-employed, ready your tax returns for the last three years. Borrowers who have rental property are asked to present tax returns for the past two years and the current rental contract.

If you are a retiree, receiving Social Security, or child support – you have to get the appropriate documents ready – Pension Award Letter, Social Security Award Letter, or copy of the divorce settlement and 12 months of cancelled of checks for child support.

Your debts

It is always standard requisite to present your record of existing debts. Prepare a list of names and addresses, account numbers and balances, and the payments you have made on a monthly basis to your loans.

Be ready to explain late payments, collections, credit inquiries and charge-offs, judgment or liens. If you have for bankruptcy within the previous 7 years, look for your bankruptcy papers.

If you are still paying a VA loan, get a copy of DD Form 214, and your Report of Separation plus your original Certificate of Eligibility.

The usual requirements for refinance home mortgage

After you have readied all the papers, pack in your Photo ID and your Social Security number, your residence addresses for the previous years, usually two years.

If you are not citizen, be ready with a copy of your green card and have both front and back photocopied. If you happen to be a divorcee, your divorce decree will also be needed.

Before you take out a refinance home mortgage

Scouting for the best deal should be second in your to-do list. This means lower interest rates by 2% than your current loan, no hidden fees, and a loan that can raise your equity through the years. Your ticket to financial stability is your capability to pay the monthly bills without sacrificing your family's well-being.

So make a to-do list now and enlist your partner to gather all those documents for a stress-free refinance home mortgage loan application.