Looking around the old condo or starter home and realizing it will be too small is a rite of passage for a family on the verge of welcoming a baby. So begins the search---and the mortgage lending process. That's when an often stressful transaction can become even more worrisome, depending on the timing of the baby's arrival---specifically, the parental leave of absence. The likely drop in income, even if expected to be temporary, is enough to hamper a loan qualification, according to The New York Times. Denver mortage broker Kevin Iverson tells the Times one thing that can help is to be "totally forthcoming with the lender at the very start of the loan process," rather than revealing the information at closing or late in the process when banks are calling employers to check out your credit. The process of mortgage qualification is becoming more arduous, like back in the old days, before the housing slump, reports Housing Watch. A mortgage broker in New Jersey, for instance, asked a couple for their marriage certificate as proof an extra $15,000 that recently appeared in their bank account had come from a legitimate source. It was a gift.