503-799-3711 • workshopteam@rate.com • The Workshop Team @ Rate

Let’s get this party started

Welcome to…nobody’s favorite part of lending

To talk through numbers and loan options while helping you plan for the homebuying journey ahead, we need a clear picture of your finances. That clarity starts with gathering some information.
We aim to make this part of the process a breeze and whittle the paperwork to a minimum.

Step One: Gather Information

We start by gathering some information about:

  • You
  • Your income
  • Your employment
  • Your assets
  • Plus permission to run a credit check*

*We always start with a soft credit check that doesn’t affect your credit score or put you on a timeline.

Lift any credit freezes. A temporary or short-term lift is fine. Just make sure your scores are unfrozen long enough to complete the form or call.

Next, click Get Started, and choose how you’d like to share this information:

  • Secure online form: about 10 minutes, using information you should know off the top of your head
  • Phone call: a 30-minute call to go through the information together

If you’re stopping to look things up, you’re probably working too hard. Estimates and ballpark information are fine—we start in sandbox mode.

Want an idea of what we’ll ask? Check out our Mortgage information Preview, but… seriously… close enough and off the cuff is just fine.

Step Two: Gather Paperwork

Now it’s time for a little supporting paperwork. We’ll follow up to:

  • Confirm receipt of your information
  • Set up a personalized task list

You can access and upload tasks using:

For a preview of documents we might request, check out our Mortgage Documentation Checklist.

Pro tip: Start with our digital income and asset tools. They may eliminate some (or even all) of the paperwork.


Digital Mortgage Sneak Peek

This is not a test—in a good way. 😅 Here’s a sneak peek at our Digital Mortgage. Is this the fun part of the process? Nope. But it’s the part that gets us to the fun part—and knowing what to expect heads off a few potential “what, what?” moments.
The vibe: guided intake. Keep swimming (like a shark 🦈). Build an outline with the information in your head, and we’ll refine the details together later.


Using our Secure Digital Portal

Welcome to your digital home base—our secure portal. You can upload docs, complete tasks, and e-sign paperwork during the loan process (trees thank you 🌳). After you close on your new home, you can log in anytime to manage your mortgage and schedule payments.

What’s next?

As soon as your tasks are complete, the ball’s in our court.

We’ll take it from here—reviewing everything you’ve shared, building tailored loan options, and reaching out to walk through the details together.

Need help?

Check out the resources on this page and reach out with any questions. We’re here to help and offer guidance. This part isn’t glamorous—but done well, it makes everything that follows smoother and faster.

digital mortgage

Explore our PDF library…

We have some tools to help you keep on track . Here are some downloadable PDFs to help guide you through gathering what you’ll need in the coming weeks.

Offer accepted - document checklist too help you gather what we’ll need, processing your loan

Downloadable PDF

Document
checklist

Gift Funds: Your Guide to Documentation, processing, underwriting

Downloadable PDF

Document Checklist –
Self-employed & Freelance

Credit tips for a successful mortgage transaction, specifically hard vs soft credit checks

Downloadable PDF

Mortgage Credit Cheat Sheet

Guide to Documenting Your Assets, Offer Accepted, Initial Loan Document guide, Processing

Downloadable PDF

Mortgage Info Preview

Pro tips for a successful mortgage transaction, processing, underwriting, conditional approval, home loan closing

Downloadable PDF

Help us help you

The Workshop Team are Employees of Rate, Inc.