The former San Diego division president of Centex Homes has made a place for himself in an ... When the housing slump cost him his job as a home-building executive, Jay Kerr turned to the burgeoning foreclosure market to jump-start his stalled career. Online applications are quick. An online application form takes about four minutes of your time filling it up. Approval can then be given within 24 hours. This is a far cry from the several business days it usually takes for traditional mortgage applications to be approved. In this regard, online mortgages are less time-consuming and even initially paper-free.