06 Aug 2024
By divfundposts

Understanding Your FICO Score: Key to Better Home Loan Rates

Credit Scoring

When you’re looking to buy a home, one of the most important numbers you need to know is your FICO score. This three-digit number represents your creditworthiness and plays a crucial role in determining the terms of your home loan. Let’s discuss what a FICO score is, how it’s calculated, and why it matters for your home-buying journey.

What is a FICO Score?

A FICO score is a numerical representation of your creditworthiness, ranging from 300 to 850. It is calculated based on your credit report, which includes your payment history, amounts owed, length of credit history, new credit, and types of credit used. Essentially, it gives lenders an idea of how likely you are to repay borrowed money.

How is Your FICO Score Calculated?

  1. Payment History (35%): Your track record of making payments on time.
  2. Amounts Owed (30%): The total amount of credit and loans you are using compared to your total credit limit.
  3. Length of Credit History (15%): How long you’ve been using credit.
  4. New Credit (10%): Recent credit inquiries and newly opened accounts.
  5. Types of Credit Used (10%): Your mix of credit accounts, such as credit cards, mortgage loans, and car loans.

Why Does Your FICO Score Matter?

Your FICO score is a critical factor that lenders use to determine your eligibility for a mortgage and the interest rate you will be offered. A higher score can lead to better loan terms, such as lower interest rates, which can save you thousands of dollars over the life of your mortgage. Conversely, a lower score might result in higher interest rates or even difficulty securing a loan.

Tips to Improve Your FICO Score

  1. Pay Your Bills on Time: Consistently paying your bills by their due dates is the most impactful action you can take to improve your score.
  2. Reduce Your Debt: Aim to keep your credit card balances low relative to your credit limits.
  3. Check Your Credit Report Regularly: Ensure there are no errors on your report that could be negatively affecting your score.
  4. Limit New Credit Applications: Too many inquiries in a short period can lower your score.
  5. Maintain a Mix of Credit Types: Having a variety of credit types can positively influence your score.

Understanding and improving your FICO score is crucial for securing the best possible terms on a home loan. If you’re ready to take the next step in your home-buying journey, contact me today for personalized advice and guidance on your mortgage options. Let’s work together to make your dream home a reality!

16 Nov 2021
By Kevin Gahagan

What Is A High Enough Credit Score For A Mortgage?

Mortgage

What Is A High Enough Credit Score For A Mortgage?There are many people who are interested in purchasing a home for the first time. Even though many first-time homeowners are interested in the sticker price of a home, it is just as important to consider credit scores. Anyone who requires financing to purchase a home will have to go through a credit check. What credit score is considered high enough for a home loan? What do people have to do if they want to increase their credit scores?

What Credit Bureaus Do Lenders Use?

First, a credit score is a reflection of someone’s overall financial health. A lender wants to make sure someone has the ability to pay back a mortgage before they give that person a home loan. The higher someone’s credit score is, the more likely the lender believes he or she will have that loan repaid. 

In general, there are three major credit bureaus. They include Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Most lenders are going to run something called a triple merge (or a trimerge) when they check someone’s credit. This means the lender is going to check someone’s credit score with all three major credit bureaus before deciding if someone should receive a home loan. All three major credit bureaus calculate credit scores using the Fair Isaac Corporation, or FICO, numbers, but they calculate credit scores slightly differently. 

What Is Considered A Solid Credit Score?

Every lender has a slightly different metric, but a credit score less than 580 is considered poor. In contrast, a credit score over 800 is considered excellent. The maximum credit score someone can have is 850. If a loan is given to someone with a score under 620, this is considered a “subprime” loan. It is possible for people to qualify for a home loan with a low credit score, but they may be facing a higher interest rate.

Those who are interested in raising their credit score should pay all of their bills on time. It is also important for individuals to pay down as much of their debt as possible before applying for a home loan. This could help them increase their credit scores and get approved for a loan with a solid interest rate. 

 

17 Nov 2020
By Kevin Gahagan

A Late Payment: Credit Score Impact

Mortgage

A Late Payment: Credit Sore ImpactThis has been a difficult year for everyone. There are a lot of people who are worried that they might not be able to keep up with their mortgage payments. Small businesses have had to close their doors and numerous individuals have been laid off from work.

It is important for homeowners to understand that banks do not want people to foreclose on their homes either. Therefore, they are often willing to work out an alternate payment plan with homeowners who are struggling due to dire financial situations. Those who are late on a mortgage payment might be wondering how this is going to impact their credit score. The answer is that it depends. 

How Does A FICO Credit Score Work? 

Someone’s credit score is a conglomeration of multiple factors including payment history, the amount of money owed, the length of the credit history,  and new credit. A late or missing mortgage payment is only going to impact one of these categories. Unfortunately, this also happens to be the largest factor, making up more than a third of the total credit score. 

A Late Mortgage Payment

First, it is important for everyone to know that a late payment is not going to impact someone’s credit score until it is late by more than a month. At the same time, people need to remember that the lender can still access a late fee. If someone has a high credit score with a long credit history, this late payment is not going to hurt as much. On the other hand, someone with a poor credit score and a short credit history might feel the sting a little bit more. 

Furthermore, it is important for people to note that a payment that is late by 60 or 90 days is going to hurt someone much more than a payment that is late by just one month. Therefore, even if a payment is going to be late, people should still try to pay it as early as possible.

Protect The Credit Score

It is important for everyone to try to do everything they can to protect their credit score. If they are worried they are not going to be able to make a mortgage payment, they should let the lender know and see what their options are.