Tips on Improving Your FICO Score for Home Buying

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 begins the home buying process. To realize your goal of owning a home, you must consider your FICO score along with the type of loan for which you'll qualify in Annapolis, Maryland.

A FICO score is a collection of your years of credit history based on a model developed by Fair Isaac and Company. 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 extended to you via a mortgage loan. Some of the pieces in summing up your FICO score are:

• Credit to Debt Ratio — How much do you owe versus your available credit?
• Credit Inquiries — Do you have too many open accounts?
• Types of Credit — Do you have a healthy mix of loans and credit cards?
• Payment History — How many times do you make late payments?

When you apply for a mortgage or any other loan, lenders want to make sure that extending a loan to you isn't a problem. Your credit score gives lenders an insight into what type of borrower you'll be solely because of your credit history. Because of the shift in the economy, most home buyers should have scores in the range of 700 or higher to get an acceptable interest rate. If your score is less than that, you can still qualify for a loan, but the interest accumulated over the life of the loan could be more than double the amount of someone having a higher FICO score.

We're used to working with all levels of credit scores. Call us at 410-647-8000 ext. 817 and we can help you get on the right track to the home of your dreams.

You want an improved score, but how do you get there? Improving your FICO score takes time. It can be difficult to make a significant stride change in your FICO score with quick fixes, but your score can improve in a year by keeping tabs your credit report and by using your credit wisely. The most important thing is to know your FICO score. You'll improve your credit score by using these pointers:

• Spread your debt around. At first, this doesn't sound 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 bulk of your debt sitting on one card.
• Retail cards and gas station cards. For those who have non-existent credit or less-than-stellar credit, store credit cards and gas credit cards are ways to begin your credit history, increase your spending limits and stay on top of your payments, which will raise your credit. You should always avoid holding a large balance for more than a couple of months because these types of cards more than likely have a larger interest rate.
• Keep your cards active. Whether you're just getting started with credit, or if you've got older cards, be sure to use your cards so that your accounts maintain an active status. But, be sure to pay them off in no more than two or three payments.
• Stay on top of payments. Payment history is a huge factor in your credit score. It's one of the reasons people who have recently experienced job loss see the biggest dip in their credit score. Yes, it takes longer to build up your credit this way, but it's the most reliable way to show that you're able to make payments to a lender.
• Ensure that your credit history is correct. If you find mistakes on your credit report, contact 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 pay extra attention to make sure the activity reported is correct.

Now that you're better informed about credit reporting, you'll be able to successfully take the first steps to homeownership, and that is improving your FICO score. Know that when you're ready to apply for a loan to purchase a house, you'll want to keep your applications within a two-week window to avoid a negative mark on your credit score. With the help of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services PenFed Realty, shopping for a mortgage can be a stress-free experience so you, too, can become a homeowner.

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.