Mortgages For America

Home Mortgages & Financing Stateline Nevada / South Lake Tahoe California

  • Main Website
  • Blog
  • Reviews
    • Zillow Reviews
    • All Reviews
    • Leave a Review
  • Manufactured / Mobile Home Loans
  • Contact

Improve Your Credit Score To Get Better Mortgage Rates

January 16, 2013 by Ken Burrows

Credit score FICO improvementFor home buyers in Stateline and nationwide, credit scores can change low mortgage rates and alter home loan approvals.

Borrowers with high credit scores get access to lower mortgage rates, for example, and can find the mortgage approval process to be more smooth that borrowers with low credit scores.

If your credit score is low, here are some basic ways to help improve it. 

Get The Reports
Download an updated version of your credit report from each of the three major reporting bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The reports may mirror each other, but credit accounts — especially derogatory ones — sometimes don’t appear on all three. Ordering reports from all three bureaus is a safety step. Note that the credit bureaus each use different scoring models so your credit scores will vary.

Check For Errors
Yes, credit reports can have errors in them. Should you find any items on any of the three credit reports which, in your opinion, do not belong or are erroneous, contact the credit bureau regarding removal. Errors on a credit report must be addressed with each bureau individually. 

Pay Up 
Or, rather, pay down. Be diligent about paying down your credit card balances in order to lower the percentage of your credit line(s) in use. In general, aim for a 30% ratio or less. An added benefit of paying down debt is that it can lower your total monthly debt load, which can increase your maximum home purchase price.

For items which are harming your score, such as a 30-day or 60-day mortgage late payments, medical collection items, and/or judgments, consider writing a brief letter which explains the circumstance of the derogatory credit event. Such a letter won’t help your score to improve, but it can help your lender to make better credit decisions, which can aid in “exceptions”, if required.

Making even minor changes to an overall credit profile can yield measurable long-term results. It can also result in lower mortgage rates.

Filed Under: Credit Scoring Tagged With: Credit Scores, FICO, TransUnion

Ken Burrows

Mortgages For America
298 Kingsbury Grade, Suite 2E
Stateline, NV 89449
Apply Now
Get a Free Rate Quote


Connect with Us

Subscribe To Our Blog!

Enter your email address:

Recent Articles

  • 3 Tips To Consider When Buying A Home With An FHA Mortgage
  • Tips for Vets Looking to Start and Grow a Green-Building Business
  • S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices: Home Prices Fall In November
  • Is It Worth It to Put More Than 20 Percent Down?
We've been helping customers afford the home of their dreams for many years and we love what we do.

NMLS: 993846
NMLS Consumer Access

Contact

Ken Burrows
Mortgages For America

298 Kingsbury Grade, Suite 2E
Stateline, NV 89449

Office: (888) 320-7888
Mobile: (775) 580-7115
Fax: (866) 328-4456

Copyright © 2023 · Powered by MySMARTblog