Text the buyer 14 days and 7 days before the letter expires, ask whether they are still looking, and name the one or two documents you would need to renew it. GoHighLevel starts the message from the letter's expiry date on the opportunity. The bottom line: a pre approval is a snapshot that ages out, and a buyer with an expired letter loses time at exactly the moment they find a house.
How long a pre approval lasts, and why
Consumer and lender guides say most pre approval letters are valid for 60 to 90 days, with some lenders issuing letters for 30 days and a few for up to 120. The reason is document age, not preference: the same guides say pay stubs are current for about 30 days, bank statements for about 2 months, and credit reports for about 120 days, and a lender guide cites Fannie Mae's Selling Guide, which allows credit documents no more than four months old on the note date. A pre approval also does not lock a rate. Rate locks are a separate step, usually taken once the buyer is under contract.
Different buyers, different messages
| Where the buyer is | Message | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Still searching, letter expiring in 14 days | Ask whether the search is still on and what has changed, such as a job, a new debt, or a larger budget | Offer a renewal call and name the documents |
| Has an accepted offer | Do not send this text. The buyer is past pre approval, so the lock and closing sequences apply | Move the opportunity to the contract stage |
| Stopped replying | One reminder at 7 days, then a call task | Stop the sequence after the call |
The letter is usually shared with real estate agents, so ask the buyer before updating or sending a renewed letter to anyone, and send it only to the agent the buyer names.
Build it in HighLevel
- Add opportunity fields for Letter issued and Letter expires.
- Build a workflow with the Custom Date Reminder trigger on Letter expires, 14 days before.
- Add an If/Else that skips any opportunity in the Under contract stage or beyond.
- Send the text and an email that name the documents needed for a renewal, with a link to your secure upload page.
- Wait 7 days, then repeat with a shorter text, and create a call task for the loan officer.
- When the buyer replies, move the opportunity to Renewal in progress and stop the sequence.
- When a renewal is issued, update Letter issued and Letter expires so the workflow starts again on the new date.
A message, written out
Sample: Hi Chris, this is Dana at [Brokerage]. Your pre approval letter expires on March 3. Are you still house hunting? If anything has changed with your job, income, or budget, tell me and I will update the letter. To renew it I will likely need your latest pay stub and bank statement: upload them here: [secure link]. Reply STOP to stop messages. The text names no rate, no amount, and no promise of approval.
Worked example
A loan officer with 50 active pre approvals and letters that run 90 days will see about 17 expire a month (50 divided by 3 months). If a quarter of those buyers are still searching and renew, that is about 4 renewals a month (17 times 0.25). The 25 percent is an assumption, so replace it with your own renewal rate.
What the text may not say
A pre approval message must not promise a loan, a rate, or a payment. It is also not marketing when it is about the buyer's existing application, but any text still needs consent and a registered number. Mortgage advertising is regulated, so keep offers and rate language out of this message and send them through your compliance review.
Pre approval, pre qualification, and what the agent sees
A pre qualification is usually a quick estimate based on what the buyer says, and a pre approval is based on an application and verified documents, which is why it carries an expiry date and why the CFPB treats a request for pre approval that includes all six application items as an application that starts the Loan Estimate clock. Real estate agents rely on the letter to take the buyer seriously, so an expired letter weakens an offer even when nothing about the buyer has changed. That is the reason the reminder goes out while the buyer is still looking, and not after the offer.
When the buyer's situation changed
A buyer who replies that they changed jobs, took on a new debt, or increased their budget needs a conversation, not a form. Create a call task the moment a reply contains any of those changes, and do not update the letter until the loan officer has the new documents. A letter that overstates what the buyer can afford does the most damage when it is wrong.
How this was handled before
A loan officer scrolled a list of letters by issue date, or found out at the offer stage that the letter was expired, when the agent called to ask for a new one. A date trigger moves the conversation to two weeks before the problem.
What to measure
Track letters expiring, buyers who replied, letters renewed, and buyers who went on to a contract. The reply rate is the main number, since a buyer who answers is still in the market.
Questions people ask
How long does a mortgage pre approval letter last?
Most letters are valid for 60 to 90 days, according to consumer and lender guides, though some lenders issue them for 30 or 120.
Does a pre approval lock my rate?
No. A rate lock is a separate step, usually taken once you are under contract.
What do I need to renew a pre approval?
Usually updated pay stubs and bank statements, and possibly a new credit pull if the report is older than about 120 days. The lender sets the exact list.
To build the expiry reminders, start a GoHighLevel account here. You can compare the opportunity screens in our capabilities demo.