Know which first-time buyer leads are worth pre-approval call time
Every first-time buyer answers where they stand — search stage, pre-approval status, and down payment plans — while Cliont collects pay stubs and ID before the file lands in your CRM.
Preview your first-time buyer loan intake
Explore 6 questions from the First-Time Buyer Loan template. This interactive preview uses illustrative scoring and sample attachments. Open the full survey to try the complete intake.
What a qualified first-time buyer loan lead should tell you
A mortgage program for borrowers buying their first home, qualified by prior homeownership status, current search stage, pre-approval progress, income stability, and planned down payment.
- This First Time Purchasing
- Current Home Search Stage
- Been Pre-Approved Mortgage
- Have Steady Employment Or
- Best Describes Planned Down
- State Or Region Buy
The questions your team needs answered
Every first-time buyer loan intake asks these — and why each one matters.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Is this your first time purchasing a home? | First-time buyer status directly determines eligibility for first-time-buyer-specific loan programs versus referral toward conventional or jumbo products. |
| What is your current home search stage? | Search stage signals urgency and readiness for a pre-approval call, ranging from just browsing to already under contract. |
| Have you been pre-approved for a mortgage? | Pre-approval status shows how far along financing already is, helping the loan officer set expectations before the call. |
| Do you currently have steady employment or income? | Steady employment or income is a core underwriting requirement, so a 'no' answer flags a file that likely can't close yet. |
| Which best describes your planned down payment amount? | Down payment range hints at likely loan program fit and helps size the loan ahead of the pre-approval call. |
| Which state or region are you planning to buy in? | State or region routes the lead to a loan officer licensed in that jurisdiction and flags region-specific program eligibility. |
How Cliont scores first-time buyer loan leads
Configured answer weights help your team prioritize follow-up. Your team reviews each submission and decides the next step.
Value signals
- This First Time Purchasing: yes
- Just starting to look
- Made an offer on a home
- Not yet searching
- Been Pre-Approved Mortgage: yes
- Have Steady Employment Or: yes
Urgency signals
- Actively searching for homes
See an example lead handoff
Illustrative lead details and score show how a submission can reach your team.
First-Time Buyer Loan Lead
From first click to qualified lead
Follow prospects and clients through one smooth, guided flow.
They land & meet you
Your video greeting plays instantly — a real face instead of a blank form.
They explain the project
Smart questions adapt to their project and capture the full scope.
They share the details
The scope and any documents come attached, so you can scope before the first call.
You get a ready lead
Scored and qualified — waiting for you to win it.
Built for first-time buyer loan workflows
| Cliont capability | First-Time Buyer Loan application |
|---|---|
| Weighted branching logic | Scores a 'yes' to first-time buyer status higher than 'no,' automatically distinguishing first-time buyer files from leads better suited to a Conventional Mortgage or FHA Loan intake. |
| Single-choice scoring | Ranks search-stage answers from 'Not yet searching' up to 'Made an offer on a home,' so loan officers see instantly how close a borrower is to needing a pre-approval call. |
| Document collection | Requests pay stubs and ID during intake so income stability can be checked before a file is assigned to a loan officer. |
| Free-text capture | Records the state or region the borrower is buying in, letting you route the lead to a loan officer licensed in that jurisdiction. |
Example first-time buyer loan lead scenarios
Illustrative situations explain the intake questions and possible follow-up.
Made an offer, no pre-approval
The borrower is a first-time buyer who already made an offer but hasn't been pre-approved yet, so the intake flags the file as high-value since search stage carries the top weight in the catalog.
Just starting to browse
A first-time buyer who selects 'Just starting to look' scores lower on search stage than someone who's made an offer, so the file can be nurtured instead of rushed to a pre-approval call.
Pre-approved and actively searching
This borrower combines two of the highest-weighted answers in the catalog — already pre-approved and actively searching — so the lead reaches the CRM as a top priority.
Minimal down payment saved
A first-time buyer who picks 'Less than 5%' for down payment still moves through the intake normally, but the loan officer sees that figure up front and can steer the pre-approval call toward low-down-payment options.
Unsteady income reported
When a borrower answers 'no' to having steady employment or income, that answer carries the lowest weight in the catalog, signaling the loan officer to have more conversation before scheduling a call.
Connect Cliont to your workflow
Connect your CRM
HubSpot, HighLevel, monday.com
Connect your legal software
Lawmatics, MyCase, Clio Manage and Clio Grow
Notify your team
Email, SMS, Slack
Configure other destinations
Google Sheets, configured webhooks, Zapier and API workflows
Simple, transparent pricing
Choose the plan that works for your business.
Professional
Unlimited intake forms and leads for your growing business.
- Unlimited intake forms
- Custom video greetings
- AI-powered voice bot
- English + Spanish support
- Automatic lead scoring
- Digital estimates & e-signatures
- Photo, video & file upload
- Advanced analytics dashboard
Pay Per Lead
Only pay when you receive a qualified lead.
- Unlimited intake forms
- Custom video greetings
- AI-powered voice bot
- English + Spanish support
- Automatic lead scoring
- Digital estimates & e-signatures
- Photo, video & file upload
- Charged only for submitted leads
More home purchase loans intake templates
First-Time Buyer Loan lead-intake FAQs
How does the intake treat borrowers who aren't first-time buyers?
The first question asks directly whether this is the borrower's first home purchase; a 'no' answer still scores the lead but at a lower weight than 'yes,' since repeat buyers may be better suited to a Conventional Mortgage or Jumbo Mortgage intake instead.
What if a borrower hasn't started house hunting yet?
Search stage is a single-choice field, and 'Not yet searching' scores lowest among the four options, so those leads still reach your CRM but rank below borrowers who've made an offer.
Does the intake ask for credit or income documentation?
The intake asks whether the borrower has steady employment or income and collects pay stubs and ID as required uploads, giving loan officers a first look at underwriting readiness before the pre-approval call.
How does down payment size affect the lead score?
Down payment range is captured as a single-choice field from 'Less than 5%' to 'More than 20%,' with a 'Not sure' option, so every borrower is captured even before they've settled on a number.
Can I filter leads by the state they're buying in?
Yes — the intake captures the borrower's state or region as free text, so you can route files to a loan officer licensed in that jurisdiction before the file hits your CRM.
What happens to a first-time buyer lead who already has pre-approval?
Pre-approval status is a yes/no question weighted higher on 'yes,' so a borrower who's already pre-approved scores higher and is prioritized for a pre-approval call sooner than someone still shopping for financing.
Turn first-time buyer loan visitors into qualified clients
Give every first-time buyer loan visitor a guided intake instead of a dead contact form — and get a scored, qualified lead before you take the first call.