Credit, Credit Repair and Your Mortgage Loan, what does it all mean?
Credit scores play an important factor in obtaining the best interest rate available for your new home purchase loan, rehab loan, or refinance no matter where you live. Protect your FICO score. Do not open new revolving accounts needlessly. Do not fill out credit applications needlessly. Do not keep your credit cards nearly maxed out. Make sure you do use your credit occasionally. These are just a few ways in which you can be sure you receive the best rate possible when it comes time to buy a new home or refinance your current home.
As you probably know guidelines change all the time but as of today you will need at least a 620 FICO for an FHA purchase or refinance loan, a 640 for an FHA 203k rehab loan, and a 680 for a conventional rehab loan (Fannie Mae HomePath or HomeStyle). Of course these are just the minimum requirements and any time you only meet the minimum requirements there may be additional guidelines imposed upon you such as an increase in reserves or a lower debt ratio.
An ideal applicant will have a FICO score in the 700 range, a couple months of reserves in the bank, a clean 24 month credit history and at least three active trade lines. Of course not everyone can meet the “ideal” situation which is why we have variances in place to help those with a few credit issue or those trying to build credit.
When you see rates being advertised usually lenders are assuming a conventional loan with a 780 credit score and 20% down. Now more than ever it’s important to protect your credit rating and identity. Keeping a high FICO score, low Debt to Income and a positive housing history is key to obtaing mortgage loan approval.
Please give me a call today to discuss your qualification. Who knows, you might be more qualified than you think. In the event you need some credit repair I invite you to check out Omega Credit Repair.