Apply for a Mortgage Online
Last updated: June 2026
The online mortgage application at Homestead Financial Mortgage is a free, 8-step process for home purchase or refinance. It requires no hard credit pull to start, saves automatically, and takes most applicants 15 to 20 minutes to complete. Every file is personally reviewed by Greg Aftayev (NMLS #230559) before your first conversation. Serving homebuyers and homeowners across St. Louis, Missouri - including Chesterfield, Clayton, Ballwin, and surrounding communities.
- 28+ Years Experience
- Owner at Homestead Financial Mortgage
- NMLS #230559
- BBB A+ Rated Parent Firm
- 4.7 rated · Google, Zillow & BBB
Content last reviewed: June 2026
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What Does the Online Mortgage Application Cover?
The online application collects your personal, financial, and property information across 8 clearly labeled sections. You can save your progress at any time and return later - there is no deadline to complete it in one session. Most applicants finish in 15 to 20 minutes when they have their financial details on hand.
Application Info
Identity, address, and loan purpose
Who you are, where you live, and what you are trying to accomplish. Covers loan purpose (purchase or refinance), purchase price, down payment, and co-borrower details if applicable.
Employment
Work history for the past 2 years
At least 24 months of employment history. Retired, self-employed, or a student? Indicate that and a full history is not required. Self-employed borrowers document business income here.
Additional Income
Income beyond your regular paycheck
Any recurring income separate from employment - Social Security, pension, disability, alimony or child support received, or other regular non-employment sources.
Assets
Financial accounts and holdings
The accounts you plan to use for your down payment, closing costs, and reserves. Checking, savings, investment, brokerage, and retirement accounts such as 401k and IRA.
Additional Liabilities
Monthly obligations not on your credit report
Recurring financial obligations that would not appear in a standard credit pull - alimony or child support you pay, job-related expenses, tax liens, or separate maintenance.
Declarations
Required federal disclosures
A standard set of yes/no questions required by federal lending regulations. Topics include primary residence intent, prior bankruptcies or foreclosures, and undisclosed debts.
Properties Owned
Real estate you currently own
List any property you currently own - a primary home, investment property, or other real estate - with basic details about its value, usage, and financial performance.
Upload Documents
Supporting documents for your file
Government-issued photo ID, recent bank statements, pay stubs or tax returns depending on employment type, and a current mortgage statement if you own other property.
What happens after you submit?
Greg receives an immediate notification when your application is submitted. He personally reviews your file before reaching out - you will not be handed off to a call center or an automated queue.
- Greg reviews your file personally, typically within one business day
- He contacts you to discuss your situation and answer any questions
- No obligation to proceed - the review is free with no commitment required
What Documents Do I Need to Apply for a Mortgage?
Document upload is the final step - complete all prior sections first and gather your paperwork in the meantime. Requirements vary by borrower type:
| Borrower Type | Required Documents |
|---|---|
| W-2 employee | Photo ID, 2 months of bank statements, 30 days of pay stubs, W-2s for the past 2 years |
| Self-employed | Photo ID, 2 months of bank statements, 2 years of business and personal tax returns |
| Retired | Photo ID, 2 months of bank statements, Social Security award letter or most recent pension statement |
| Refinancing | All of the above plus your most recent mortgage statement |
Frequently Asked Questions About the Mortgage Application
Answers to the questions borrowers ask most before starting their mortgage application.
Starting the application does not trigger a hard credit inquiry. A hard credit pull only occurs when you formally submit your application for underwriting - a step Greg will walk you through personally before it happens. If you have concerns about your current credit profile, Greg will review your situation on a free strategy call before any pull is made. When a hard inquiry does occur, mortgage-related inquiries made within a 14 to 45-day window are grouped and treated as a single inquiry by the major credit scoring models, which limits the impact if you are comparing rates across multiple lenders. For most borrowers, a single mortgage hard pull temporarily reduces a credit score by approximately 5 to 10 points. The inquiry remains on your credit report for two years but only affects your score for 12 months. Greg will discuss timing and credit strategy with you before your file moves forward.
No. You can begin the application, save your progress, and return later. Document upload is the final step, so you can complete all personal and financial sections first and gather your paperwork in the meantime.
Yes. The application saves automatically as you go. Log back in with the same username and password at any time to continue from where you left off - there is no deadline to complete it in one session.
Yes. In Step 1 (Application Info) you can choose to include a co-borrower. The application will then collect the same personal, employment, asset, and liability information for them alongside yours.
Self-employed borrowers follow the same 8 steps. In the Employment section, indicate that you are self-employed. The document upload step will prompt you for 2 years of business and personal tax returns instead of W-2s and pay stubs.
Most applicants complete the full 8-step application in 15 to 20 minutes when they have their financial details on hand. The time varies by borrower situation. W-2 employees with straightforward income and employment typically move through all steps quickly. Self-employed borrowers may spend additional time on the employment and income sections, which ask for more detail about business structure, earnings, and years in business. Retired borrowers generally move through employment quickly by selecting the retired status option. The document upload step in Step 8 is separate from the rest of the application: you can complete all 7 prior steps first and return to upload your supporting documents when you have them gathered. There is no time limit and no session expiration. The application saves automatically as you go, and you can log back in at any point to continue or make changes before final submission.
When you submit your application, Greg receives an immediate notification and personally reviews your file - typically within one business day. He will contact you by phone to walk through what he reviewed, ask any clarifying questions, and discuss your loan options. You will not be handed off to a call center, an automated queue, or a junior loan officer. Greg is the person who calls you, reviews your file, and sees your loan through to closing. After your initial conversation, the next steps depend on your situation. If you are purchasing a home, Greg will work toward issuing a pre-approval letter once your documentation is complete and underwriting conditions are met. If you are refinancing, he will walk through rate options and closing cost scenarios with you before you decide how to proceed. There is no obligation to move forward after submitting the application and no fee for the review.
The application is hosted on Salesforce, one of the most trusted enterprise security platforms in the world, with bank-level 256-bit encryption. Your information is never shared without your explicit consent.