Pre-underwriting means a lender reviews and approves your full financial file before you write an offer. It goes beyond a standard pre-approval and removes most of the financing risk from a transaction. Sellers often treat pre-underwritten buyers as close to cash because the likelihood of a financing issue derailing escrow is dramatically lower. In San Francisco, where multiple offers are common, this can be the difference between winning and losing. I encourage buyers to complete pre-underwriting early.
