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DreamLux Home Loans
Zach Brown NMLS #2156538 · Licensed in Missouri & Kansas · Equal Housing Lender
(573) 301-4422
Get the checklist
01 · The checklist I give my own clients
The pre-approval checklist I give my own Missouri and Kansas clients.
Six documents, one 15-minute call, no credit pull for the call. You leave knowing which programs fit your file and what to fix first, if anything.
Senior Loan Officer Zach Brown
NMLS #2156538
Licensed MO + KS
Based in Columbia, MO
5 minFirst reply after you submit, during business hours
280+Wholesale lenders one file gets priced across
0Credit pulls for the first call
Received
Got it, thanks. Here's what happens next.
- A text and an email with the checklist land within about 5 minutes during business hours.
- Zach calls within the hour. If you'd rather pick the time, book it below.
- Ready to skip ahead? The secure application takes about 12 minutes and does not obligate you to anything.
Prefer to talk now? (573) 301-4422
While you wait: compare an estimate you already have, search live MLS listings, or run a full payment estimate, or open all the free tools.
NMLS #2156538 · Verify on NMLS Consumer Access
Licensed in Missouri & Kansas
280+ wholesale lenders
Equal Housing Lender
Read Google reviews
02 · The thing the reply promised, no email required to read it
What do I need to get pre-approved for a mortgage in Missouri or Kansas?
To get pre-approved for a mortgage in Missouri or Kansas you need two recent pay stubs, two years of W-2s, two months of bank statements, a photo ID, a target monthly payment, and a licensed loan officer who will put the approval in writing. The first conversation does not require a credit pull, and a written Loan Estimate must follow within 3 business days of a full application. Everything below is the same material Zach walks his own clients through on that first call, and it works with any lender.
Direct answer: a Missouri or Kansas pre-approval needs six things for a W-2 borrower: two recent pay stubs, two years of W-2s, two months of bank statements, a photo ID, a rough idea of your target payment, and a lender who will put it in writing. Self-employed borrowers swap the pay stubs for two years of tax returns or 12 to 24 months of business bank statements.
0 of 8 gathered
Three things people miss
- Large deposits get questioned. Anything that isn't payroll in the last 60 days needs a paper trail. Move gift money early and keep the gift letter.
- Don't pay off collections without asking first. Some programs don't require it, and paying one off can drop your score short-term.
- The pre-approval letter should match the offer. Zach writes them to the price you're offering, not your maximum, so the seller doesn't know your ceiling.
What you get on the call
- Which programs your file actually fits (FHA, VA, USDA, conventional, or a bank-statement loan)
- The one thing to fix first if anything is holding you back
- A written pre-approval letter within one business day of your documents, if you want to move forward
Direct answer: FHA needs 3.5% down with a 580+ score and its mortgage insurance stays for the life of the loan at that down payment. Conventional starts at 3% down for first-time buyers and lets you cancel mortgage insurance at 80% loan-to-value. VA is 0% down with no monthly mortgage insurance for eligible service members and veterans. USDA is 0% down for eligible rural addresses, which covers more of Missouri and Kansas than most buyers expect.
| Program fact | FHA | Conventional | VA | USDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum down payment | 3.5% | 3% (first-time), 5% otherwise | 0% | 0% |
| Monthly mortgage insurance | Yes, for the life of the loan at 3.5% down | Yes under 20% down, cancelable at 80% LTV | None | Yes, annual fee, lower than FHA |
| Upfront fee | 1.75% upfront premium, can be financed | None | Funding fee, waived for many disabled veterans | 1% guarantee fee, can be financed |
| Seller can pay toward closing costs | Up to 6% of price | 3% to 9% depending on down payment | Up to 4% plus normal closing costs | Up to 6% of price |
| Who it usually fits | Lower score, smaller savings, higher debt ratios | 680+ score, plans to drop mortgage insurance | Eligible service members, veterans, some surviving spouses | Moderate income, eligible rural or small-town address |
| Down payment help in MO / KS | MHDC (Missouri) and KHRC (Kansas) programs can layer on top of FHA, conventional, VA and USDA for eligible buyers. Ask on the call. | |||
Self-employed or 1099?
Two years of returns is the standard path. When write-offs make the returns look thin, a bank-statement loan qualifies on 12 to 24 months of deposits instead. Both get priced on the call.
Which Missouri mortgage fits your situationDenied somewhere else?
One lender's answer is not the program's answer. Overlays differ lender to lender, and a file that fails at a bank often clears at one of the 280+ wholesale lenders Zach prices with. Bring the denial reason to the call.
Conventional loan detailsAlready have a quote?
Ask that lender for the written Loan Estimate, then compare Sections A and B only. Zach will run a second estimate on the same loan amount so you know in ten minutes whether it's in line.
Loan Estimate comparisonDirect answer: "approved for" and "comfortable with" are two different numbers, and lenders only tell you the first one. Most programs cap total monthly debts (new house payment plus car, student loans and minimum card payments) at about 43% to 50% of gross income. Back into the payment you'd actually be fine with, then have a lender size the loan to that payment.
36% is conservative. 43% is the common benchmark. Some programs stretch to 50% with strong compensating factors.
Maximum total housing payment at your cap
$2,625
Example math only, not an approval. "Housing payment" means principal, interest, taxes, insurance, HOA and mortgage insurance together. The loan amount that produces this payment depends on the rate, term and program, which is what the call figures out.
Have Zach size the loan to my payment
Closing costs in Missouri and Kansas
Plan on roughly 2% to 4% of the price, and remember the seller can cover part of it (see the program table). Prepaids and escrow look different lender to lender but aren't a fee difference; compare the Loan Costs section only.
You don't have to spend all your savings
A lot of Mid-Missouri and Kansas City buyers put less down on purpose and keep an emergency fund. The number that matters is the payment, not the maximum you're approved for.
Direct answer: the only refinance math that matters is break-even: total closing costs divided by the monthly savings. Under 24 months and you plan to stay longer than that, it usually pencils. Over 60 months, it usually doesn't, no matter what the rate headline says.
Months to break even
26
Example math only. Savings depend on the new rate, term and whether costs are rolled into the loan. A refinance that resets a 30-year clock can cost more over the life of the loan even when the monthly payment drops.
Have Zach run my real break-even
Dropping PMI? Ask your servicer first.
On a conventional loan you can request cancellation at 80% loan-to-value with a new appraisal. That costs a few hundred dollars instead of a full refinance.
VA IRRRL and FHA Streamline
Reduced documentation and, in most cases, no new appraisal. If you already have a VA or FHA loan, price these before a full refinance.
Refinance options in Missouri and KansasOnly need the cash?
A cash-out refinance resets your whole balance to the new terms. If the first mortgage is worth keeping, price a HELOC against it first.
03 · What happens after you hit send
What happens after you submit the form?
Five minutes, one call, then a written estimate. No surprises, and no obligation at any step.
1
Within 5 minutes: a text and an email
The checklist or worksheet you asked for, plus a link to pick a call time if you'd rather not wait for the phone to ring. During business hours, this is automated so it never slips. Overnight submissions go out first thing in the morning.
2
Within the hour: Zach calls
Fifteen minutes. Your target area, your timeline, a look at your numbers. No credit pull for this call. You'll leave knowing which programs fit and what to fix first, if anything.
3
If you want to move forward: the application, then a written Loan Estimate
The secure application takes about 12 minutes. Once it's in, your Loan Estimate is delivered within 3 business days by law. It's the only apples-to-apples way to compare any other lender's offer, and Zach will walk it with you line by line.
4
One file, priced across 280+ lenders
A bank prices your file one way. A wholesale loan officer prices the same file across many lenders and picks the one that fits your situation, not the one on the sign out front. Pre-approval letters are written to match your offer, not your ceiling.
Zach Brown, NMLS #2156538
NEXA Lending · Missouri & Kansas
04 · Your Missouri & Kansas Mortgage Loan Officer
I Price Every Option Before You Choose One.
Most buyers are quoted one structure and never see the alternatives. On a conventional file the tiers behave very differently: the mortgage insurance premium at 3% down is nothing like the premium at 15%, and credit score moves both the rate and the MI. On an FHA file the premium never goes away at minimum down. You should see all of it on one page before you pick.
In the Kansas City metro there is a second variable most lenders never raise. Kansas assesses residential property at 11.5% of appraised value and Missouri assesses at 19%, so the same list price produces a different escrow figure depending on which side of the state line you buy. Being licensed in both states means the same person can quote you either way.
Zach built DreamLux from the ground up over two years after roughly a decade in exercise physiology and sports nutrition, where the job was the same as it is now: look at someone's numbers, tell them the truth about what fits, and build the plan that gets them there. Operating through NEXA Lending, LLC, DreamLux gives every client access to 280+ wholesale lenders.
Where Zach lends: Columbia, Jefferson City, Ashland and Fulton in Mid-Missouri; Camdenton, Osage Beach, Sunrise Beach, Laurie and Gravois Mills at the Lake of the Ozarks; the Kansas City metro on both sides of the state line; the St. Louis metro including St. Charles County; and Olathe, Overland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee, Lawrence, Topeka and Wichita in Kansas. Columbia mortgage lender page · all local markets.
05 · Wholesale Rate Quote
See Your Payment Options, No Credit Pull
Pick your program, drop in a few details, and Zach shops 280+ wholesale lenders for your scenario. He calls with what he sees, nothing is locked and nothing is pulled.
DreamLux Home Loans’
Wholesale Rate Quote
Pricing shopped across 280+ wholesale lenders.
No SSN required. No credit pull.
No Credit Impact
Nothing is pulled to review your options
You Hear Back From Zach
Not a call center or a lead queue
280+ Wholesale Lenders
Your file is shopped, not fitted to one product sheet
Licensed in Missouri & Kansas
NMLS #2156538, verifiable on NMLS Consumer Access
Zach Brown
Senior Mortgage Loan Officer • NMLS #2156538
NEXA Lending, LLC • (573) 301-4422
Received
Got it, thanks. Zach is pricing your scenario now.
- A text and an email confirm the details within about 5 minutes during business hours.
- Zach calls within the hour with what the wholesale panel shows for your scenario. Nothing is locked until you say so.
- Want it in writing? The secure application gets you a Loan Estimate within 3 business days.
DreamLux Home Loans, a DBA of NEXA Lending, LLC • Equal Housing Lender • Zach Brown NMLS #2156538 • NEXA Lending, LLC NMLS #1660690
Rates subject to change. Not a commitment to lend. No credit pull to request a quote; a credit report is only pulled with your authorization at application.
06 · Three ways to start, pick the one that matches where you are
Not everyone is ready for a call. That's fine.
Just looking
Get the checklist by email
The pre-approval checklist and the program comparison in your inbox. Read it when you're ready. No call unless you ask for one.
Email me the checklist
Comparing
Wholesale rate quote, no credit pull
Tell Zach the price range, down payment and rough credit band. He prices the file across the wholesale panel and calls you with what he sees. Nothing is locked, nothing is pulled.
Get a wholesale quote
Ready
Start the secure application
About 12 minutes. Zach gets it the moment you finish and calls to walk the next steps. Your Loan Estimate follows within 3 business days.
Apply nowPrefer to pick the time? Book a 15-minute call on Zach's calendar, or call (573) 301-4422. Mon to Fri 8 to 8, Sat and Sun 10 to 6, Central.
07 · Complimentary Resources
Powerful Tools, Completely Free
No login, no credit pull. The same tools Zach's clients use before, during and after the first call, and every one of them works with any lender. Each opens in a new tab so this page stays put.
Selling by owner? Zach works with FSBO sellers across Missouri and Kansas on the financing side only: a pre-approval check on any offer before you accept it, and a financing contact at your showings. FSBO financing help in Missouri and Kansas.
08 · Questions people ask before they fill out the form
Straight answers
Does the 15-minute call pull my credit?
No. The first call is a conversation about your numbers, timeline and which programs fit. A credit pull only happens when you decide to move forward with an application, and one pull covers every lender the file is priced with inside a 45-day window.
How fast will I hear back after I submit the form?
A text and an email go out within 5 minutes during business hours, and Zach calls within the hour. If you submit overnight, the first touch goes out first thing the next morning.
Do I have to be buying in Missouri or Kansas?
The home has to be in Missouri or Kansas. Where you live today does not matter. Relocating from Texas into Olathe or from South Carolina into St. Louis works. Buying a lake house in Arkansas does not, and Zach will say so on the call rather than waste your time.
What documents do I need for a pre-approval?
For a W-2 borrower: two most recent pay stubs, W-2s for the last two years, two months of bank statements, a photo ID, and your last two tax returns if you have side income. Self-employed borrowers add two years of returns or 12 to 24 months of business bank statements, depending on the program. The checklist above has all of it.
Will my information be sold or shared?
No. Your form goes to Zach Brown and DreamLux Home Loans only. It is not sold to a lead network and it does not trigger calls from other lenders. You can opt out of texts at any time by replying STOP.
What is a Loan Estimate and why does it matter?
A Loan Estimate is the standardized three-page federal disclosure every lender must deliver within 3 business days of your application. It is the only apples-to-apples way to compare two lenders, because every lender lays out fees and terms on the same form. Compare Sections A and B; prepaids and escrow look different lender to lender but aren't a fee difference.
I'm selling a house by owner. Can you help my buyers?
Yes, on the financing side only. Zach can give your buyers a pre-approval check before you accept an offer and a financing contact at your showings. He doesn't touch your price, marketing or paperwork; that's brokerage, and listing-side questions go to a licensed agent. More on FSBO financing in Missouri and Kansas.
09 · One more thing before you go
See Your Options Priced Side by Side
Tell Zach your target price range and credit profile. You get back 3%, 5%, 10% and 20% down with the mortgage insurance built in, plus the FHA comparison, so the decision is arithmetic. No credit pull to start.
Ready to move now? Start your secure application →
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Want the checklist in your inbox for later?
Just an email. No call, no text, no credit pull. The pre-approval checklist and the program comparison, sent once.
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Check your inbox in a few minutes. When you're ready for the call, book it here.
