Raising Your FICO Score for Home buyers
The road to home ownership doesn't start with getting pre-approved by a lender or with choosing a real estate agent. The content of your wallet starts the home buying process. To become a homeowner, considering your credit score is a must along with the type of mortgage loan for which you'll qualify in Fort lauderdale.
The Fair Isaac Company bases your FICO score on the summary of your complete credit history. Most people traditionally have a score of 600, but scores are tiered from 300 to 850. Even though more people these days are experiencing job loss and delinquent credit cards, FICO scores aren't necessarily adjusted "on a curve." A low score is a low score and that often means you can't get credit. Some of the pieces in calculating your FICO score are:
- Credit Inquiries — Do you have too many open accounts?
- Types of Credit — Do you have a healthy mix of credit cards and loans?
- Payment History — How often do you make late payments?
- Credit to Debt Ratio — How much do you owe versus how much credit you have available?
In reviewing your credit history, you'll discover that you actually have three reports. Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — three of the major credit reporting agencies — use a slightly different models to calculate your credit rating. FICO is used by Experian. Equifax's model is called BEACON and TransUnion uses EMPIRICA. You have a credit score with each of the bureaus.
Lenders want to be positive that giving you a loan is a safe move. Your FICO score gives lenders a view of what type of borrower you are solely because of your credit history. Because of the shift in the economy, most home buyers should have scores in the range of 740 or higher to get a decent interest rate. You can qualify for a loan with a lower score, but the interest accrued in the long run could be more than double the amount of an individual with a better credit score.
We're used to working with all levels of credit scores. Call us at 9548184743 and we can help you get on the right track to the home of your dreams.
There are ways to raise your score. Improving your FICO score takes time. It can be rare to make a significant change in your FICO score with small changes, but your score can improve in a year or two by monitoring your credit report and by using credit extended to you to raise your score, instead of ruin it. The best way to do this is to know your FICO score. Here are some methods to improve your credit score:
- Apply for gas cards or retail credit. For those who have non-existent credit or less-than-stellar credit, retail credit cards and gas credit cards are ways to repair credit, increase your credit limits and keep up your payments, which will raise your credit. You should always beware of keeping a large balance for more than a couple of months because these types of cards traditionally have a larger interest rate.
- Keep your cards active. Whether you have older cards, or are just getting started with credit, use your cards to make sure your accounts stay active. But, be sure to pay them off in one or two payments.
- Pay on time. Delinquent payments drastically lower your credit score. It's one of the reasons people who have recently been unemployed see the biggest dip in their credit score. Yes, it takes longer to rebuild your credit this way, but it's the surest way to prove that you're able to make payments to a lender.
- Ensure that your credit history is correct. If you discover incorrect items on your credit report, write to the bureau requesting that the item be removed. If you have a common name or the same name as a family member, you'll want to give extra care to make sure the activity reported is correct.
- Spread your debt around. At first, this doesn't seem like a good idea. But, you want to avoid of having one card that is at the maximum and have the rest of your cards at a zero balance. It's better to have each of your cards at an even balance than to have the majority of your debt taking up the balance a single card.
Knowing the methods you can use to improve your credit score, you're one step closer to becoming a homeowner. Know that when you're ready to apply for a loan to purchase a home, you'll want to keep your applications within a two-week window to avoid damaging your credit score. With the help of Charles Rutenberg Realty, Fort Lauderdale, The Scott Todd / Mike Imperiale Team, shopping for a mortgage can be a stress-free experience so you, too, can achieve home ownership.
Learn more about FICO scores at myFICO.com, Fair Isaac's informational site and once per year, for free, you can review all three of your credit reports at annualcreditreport.com. And, for a small payment, you can get your FICO score from each bureau on their websites: equifax.com, experian.com and transunion.com.
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