Improving a Credit Score + Credit Reports 101
Good credit is the key to qualifying for a mortgage loan and buying a home. In this section of the website, we offer a variety of tools and tips to help you understand the world of credit, request and review your credit report and more. Here's how to get started:
Step 1 - Request Your Credit Report & Score
Before you can evaluate your credit situation in advance of buying a home, you must first request your credit reports and scores from a safe and secure website. Then you can find out where you stand with mortgage lenders in terms of a good or bad credit score.
There are plenty of places online where you can order your credit reports and scores. We recommend the Credit.com free trial below, because it also comes with credit monitoring.
Step 2 - Protect Your Personal Information
You'll be revealing a lot of information about yourself when buying a home, and to a lot of people. It can be scary, because many cases of credit fraud and identity theft are traced back to transactions during a home buying process. But there are ways to protect yourself during the process.
A service such as LifeLock (see link below) can help you protect your credit and your good name from the nightmare of identity theft.
Step 3 - Learn About Credit Scores & Home Buying
Step #1 above will give you access to your credit history information. This is the same (or similar) information that mortgage lenders will look at when considering you for a mortgage loan. The next step is to learn everything you can about maintaining a good credit score, and how it affects come home-buying time. Let the Captain be your guide ... (scroll down)
Tips from Captain Credit
Captain Credit is our own resident expert on all matter pertaining to credit scores and reports (as they pertain to the act of buying a home).
The Captain is a smart guy on this subject, but more importantly he gets right to the heart of the matter and writes in a clear and easy-to-understand way. Check out his column below:
Order Your Credit Reports Today
Captain Credit recommends you begin the home buying process by getting copies of your credit reports and scores (yes, you have more than one of each) and reviewing them for errors. Correct errors as early on as possible.
What Is My Credit Score?
This is one of the most common questions among home buyers, and for good reason. As a home buyer, you know that mortgage lenders are going to analyze your credit score (among other things), so it's wise for you to do the same.
Get a Copy of Your Free Credit Report
Everybody is shouting about free credit reports these days, and it's enough to make your head spin. Thankfully, the Captain is here to help you make sense out of it all.
How to Improve Your Credit Score
Have you conducted some financial research and found that your credit score is relatively low, compared to the national average? If so, you'll want to improve your score before applying for a mortgage loan. Captain Credit has some tips on how to go about it!
Your Totally Free Credit Report Online
Yes, there are actually several ways you can get your reports online for free. To help you understand your options, let's take a quick look at where your credit reports come from in the first place.
Credit Score Needed for Home Buying
You probably already realize that a higher score will make the home buying process easier. It will also help you get a better interest rate on your mortgage loan. But what kind of score is needed for home buying purposes? This article examines the subject in detail.
How to Fix Your Credit Report
This is a topic that every home buyer should understand, because it is closely related to the mortgage application and approval process. Thus, it's an important topic for home buying in general.
A Better Score in 2008
Good credit has always been important for home buyers. But these days, in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis and tougher regulations, it's more important than ever to have a good credit score when buying a home. The article will help you get one!
Bad Credit Report Repair
Did you know that credit repair is one of the most popular topics within the realm of consumer finance? It's true. I frequently review Internet search data to see what topics people are researching online, and this topic comes up a lot!
Keep up with the Captain: Read his weekly column for a regular does of helpful tips on this subject!
Tips on Improving a Credit Score
Early on in the home buying process, you should review your credit situation. That way, if you need to improve your credit score, you can start right away. Improving a credit score takes time, so you want to find out where you stand by (A) obtaining your credit report and score, (B) comparing yourself to the national average, and (C) working to improve your credit score if necessary.
The free credit score information below will help you interpret your credit score and work to improve your score if needed.
Your Credit Report - Helpful Tips for Home Buyers
When was the last time you saw a copy of your credit report? Do you know your credit score? If you can't answer these questions, you have some homework to do.
10 Ways to Boost Your Credit Score
This is the absolute fastest way to correct errors on your credit report and raise your credit score. However, it can only be done through a mortgage company or a bank.
I Want a Free Copy of My Credit Report
These days, there are literally thousands of websites online that offer free credit reports to consumers. But many of them come with some sort of catch, like maybe you have to sign up for some kind of credit monitoring service in order to get your free report. So in reality, it's not really a free credit report is it? Here's how to cut through the confusion to get your free report.
Credit Repair 101 - What Home Buyers Should Know
Credit repair is one of the most popular topics among home buyers. But it's also a subject of great confusion. This article will help you separate fact from fiction on the subject of repairing credit.
All About Your Credit Score
Having a high Credit Score can make a difference of up to 18% in loan repayment costs. So it's to your advantage to keep your score as high as possible. This article explains how to go about improving your score before buying a home.
Home Buying Wisdom: Avoiding the Bad Credit Blues
Applying for a mortgage loan only to find out you have bad credit is a surefire recipe for the home buying blues. After all, bad credit will reduce the chance of getting a good interest rate on your loan. Here's how to avoid these bad credit blues.
What is a Good Credit Score in the U.S.?
If you ask a handful of credit experts what makes a good credit score you will probably get a handful of different answers / ranges. So I've taken ten articles on this subject from ten reputable websites and averaged them out.
The Truth About Credit Reports
It's a good idea to know what's on your credit report before lenders begin to pull it. You may be surprised to learn that the three major credit-reporting agencies could all have different information about you on file. Here's what else you should know about this important subject before buying a home.
How Can I Improve My Credit Score - Starting Today?
FICO scores are important for a variety of reasons, but they are especially important for people who are planning to buy a home. So it's no surprise that one of the most common questions among home buyers is - How can I improve my FICO score before buying a home?
How to Review Your Credit Report
This article will educate first-time home buyers on the relationship between credit and mortgage loans, and why a thorough review of one's credit should be part of your home buying process. How to request copies of your reports, review them for errors, and make corrections if necessary.
How to Improve Your Credit Score
Having a good credit score will make the entire home buying process easier. In this tutorial, we've compiled advice from a half-dozen expert sources to help you improve your credit score.
5 Steps to a Higher Credit Score
When it comes to your credit, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It's much easier to maintain a good score than it is to improve a bad one. So follow these five steps to credit success at all times, but especially before you begin the home buying process.
How is Your FICO Score Determined?
Perhaps you're familiar with the FICO scoring system used by credit companies. But do you know how that score is determined? This is an important concept for home buyers to understand because it has everything to do with getting qualified for a mortgage loan.
How to Increase Your Credit Score
Over 30 million Americans have less-than-perfect credit, but it is really quite simple to increase your credit score. Sure, it takes discipline and motivation on your part, but you'll be surprised at how straightforward the process is.
Home Buying 101 - How's Your Credit?
Continuing in the home buying process, you need to take a good, hard look at your credit situation. Start by ordering copies of your credit reports from all three reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion).
FICO and You
Although it may not be a term you're familiar with, the term FICO can be a determining factor as to whether or not you qualify for a credit or loan.
14 Common Credit Mistakes
Credit needed to buy real estate is not the same as good credit. Besides your credit score, lenders consider your debt-to-income ratio and other credit matters.
Credit Help: Buying Real Estate is Not Like Buying a Car
You may be shocked at some of these tips because this information runs contrary to what other so-called experts tell you.
Good Credit Score? Getting the Most Out of Your Mortgage
Sometimes so much is talked about how to solve the problem of having bad credit, but what about when you have an excellent credit rating?
Buying a Home - How Credit Will Affect You
One of the first things you want to do when considering the purchase of a home is to order your credit report. This article will teach you how.
Credit Scores are Not Universal
You could pull your credit score from all three credit bureaus and find that they not only don't match each other, but don't match the FICO score your lender accesses.
