You want to buy your own home, only you aren’t sure if you can get a mortgage. You can look at a few things on your own to determine if you might qualify. It’s simple — you only have to look at what the lender will look at.

Start with your employment record. Hopefully, you have a good work history. You’ve been at the same job, or in the same field of work, for many, many years. If you have recently been transferred, get a letter from your employer showing that you aren’t a new employ to the city, but a transfer. A good employment history shows that you aren’t a risk for just up and moving on, leaving your mortgage in default.

Now you need to know what your credit report is telling lenders. Once a year, you can order a free copy of your report from each of the three credit bureaus — that equals three free reports each year. All of your debt obligations will be listed on your report. make sure that any accounts you have paid off are reflected as such. If there are negative reports that are accurate, go ahead and write down your explanation of what happened. The lender will ask you later, so go ahead and be prepared.

You may want to go ahead and look at your credit score. It will vary according to each reporting agency. What you want is a score that falls as high as possible. You still have a chance at a mortgage if you don’t have an excellent score, but you may need to provide extra paperwork or pay a higher interest rate.

After your credit, the lender is looking at three numbers: your loan-to-value ratio, your housing expense ratio and your total expenses ratio.

The loan-to-value ratio is the first thing they will ask you: How much do you want to put down? This is the percentage of the property’s value that you are financing. For example, the home you want to buy is priced and appraised at $100,000. You put $20,000 down, or 20%. You are asking for an 80% mortgage. The more you put down, the less of a risk you will be considered.

The housing expense ratio is the percentage of your gross monthly income that will go to pay your housing costs. Your costs will include your payment, mortgage insurance, property taxes and hazard insurance. You will be expected to spend less than 28% of your monthly income towards your housing costs.

Your total expenses ratio is the percentage of your gross monthly income that is spent to pay all of your debts. These debts include your housing costs, car loans, child support, credit cards and student loans. The lender is looking for you to spend less than 36% of your income towards your minimum payments.

The lender may also look at your bank account statements to see how long your cash reserves have been in your account. They may ask for several months of statements. Most lenders are simply looking to see that you have the money to handle your down payment, closing costs and first payments. Many want to see that the money has been in your account for at least six months, though many are flexible in this.

If you find that you don’t fit these three key numbers, don’t give up yet. Go in and talk with a lender. There are exceptions made for certain circumstances. For example, if you have excellent credit and little debt, you may be able to exceed the 28% housing ratio if you show that you have been paying more than that in rent for a long period of time. You are showing that you aren’t in risk of defaulting on the mortgage.

Keep in mind that it never hurts to ask. If you are turned down for financing, ask what you can do to improve your lendability. Ask the lender exactly what you should do and if they would consider lending to you in the future. This shows that you are persistent, willing to commit and dedicated to making your finances work. Basically, it shows good character. Taking the time to be prepared can really impress a lender. Don’t be surprised when you go in to meet with a lender, know your financial situation in advance.