And the verdict is . . .

So, as I was stepping out to lunch, my phone rang from a number I didn't know. It was Tom calling me about the mortgage. He had a chance to look it over and found everything to be in order, and I was approved for up to a $130,000 mortgage. He told me that my credit score was good, I guess they run it against all three bureaus, and they were 701, 745 and 790. Averaged at about 742 (I do so wish it were just a bit higher), so that was great.
He asked me about what amount I was actually looking to spend, because as it turns out if my approval is for too much higher than the amount of the house I wanted it would give me less bargaining power. So I told him $100,000 was the max I was considering spending (at least for now, until I actually start looking around at houses). So he told me he'd be firing a pre-approval letter off to me shortly.
With all this in mind, I'm thinking to myself "This is really happening." I know I was going through all this stuff leading up to where I am (and to where I'm going), but until now there really was nothing, I was planning ahead, doing stuff to prepare, but now the search actually begins.
I did hear back from the credit union, but their response left a little to be desired, so I'm going to see about calling them instead. It does seem like I really don't have to though, as I'll have a letter, and I'm certain the credit union would have the same requirements, so I might wait a bit before getting back in touch with them.
The approval is valid for only 60 days, which is unfortunate, but the timing might work out well, since if I start the process of actually buying a house near the end of the period, I'll be right in line with when I was hoping to move.
Tom did say that he couldn't give me an actual rate on the loan, but that I could expect around 4% on a 30 year fixed.
Next step, find a realtor. . . .

Running my credit report

So, my phone just dinged, and alerted me to the event I created to remind myself to run my credit report. I originally planned on running it and dealing with anything I found on it before talking to a loan officer about a mortgage, but after discussing it with a good friend, I decided to wait. I ran my credit history just over a year ago. I ran the reports for free, via the only truly free credit report site, AnnualCreditReport, which I found thanks to Clark Howard. I was able to get all three of my reports (one from each major reporting bureau, Experian, Transunion, and Equifax) with no hassle.
At the time, I looked them over, and everything on them was positive, except for one thing, which only appeared on one report. The item was a debt that was sent to collection a few years ago from an apartment complex I where had previously lived. Originally, I felt I needed to address that debt before looking into a loan, as it would make it harder for me. I wasn't sure whether I was going to try to contact them and address the debt, or first run the report to see if it was still on there. I'm certain it is, but because of my credit score, I figure paying that off could wait until after I consult with someone about a loan.
I may be going in blind when I don't run the report, but I will have a few months between when I go to talk to a loan officer and when I will actually need a loan for a house. That time will allow me to address any issues they feel need to be addressed.
Now, the fact that it was over a year since I last ran my credit history may cause some concern, there's no telling what's new on there. I know that I haven't missed a single payment on any of my debt. I have opened very little new credit. And I don't think there have been very many requests for my history in that time period. There have been a few instances where my personal information may have been leaked because of things that happened to companies I've had dealings with (Sony, with their Playstation thing for one, and there were others that don't come to mind right away). But I've had no indication that anything has happened, so for now I'm going to live in peaceful ignorance. Obviously, at the first hint of anything from a loan officer I will be running my credit report.
Another thing to note, I am lucky when it comes to this, that I live in Georgia. The state allows for you to run an extra credit report from each agency (beyond the mandatory free one from the Feds) for free once per year. So if I need to, I can run it twice at no cost.