As part of your Colorado Springs home buying process, you will likely be applying for a mortgage. And one of the most important components lenders will consider is your FICO credit score. There are many factors that contribute to that score—some of them seemingly counterintuitive. For example, when you open a new account, your score is negatively affected—the same thing also happens when you close an existing, but non-used account. Also, when you apply for credit and the company searches your report, you are negatively affected as well. Here is some helpful information to learn if you are asking yourself “can i buy a house with bad credit?”
So, if you’re thinking of buying a home in the Colorado Springs area, do you need to worry that your credit score will suffer when a mortgage lender pulls up your credit report? The answer, fortunately, is no.
Pulling Credit Reports
When the mortgage lender pulls your first credit report, there is a 45-day window in which other people can search your report without hurting your score. This is called a “soft pull.” If, however, you apply for 3 credit cards in one month, you will experience 3 “hard pulls” which will cause major “dings” in your report.
Steps to Improve Your Score
However, you can take steps to improve your score. Here are some tips to help you make sure that your credit report is in the best possible condition before you start your home search:
- Don’t co-sign loans. If your co-signer defaults, you will be responsible for the payments. If you can’t pay, your credit report will show you to be in default.
- Keep old revolving accounts open, even if you have paid them off or no longer use them.
- Avoid “same as cash” credit offers (often available at appliance and big box stores). These offers usually give you a credit limit for the amount of purchase, so you will immediately max it out. You will be “dinged” when the store does the credit search and then again when you close the account after payoff.
- Keep your credit card balances at a maximum of 30% of the total allotted credit.
- Don’t open new accounts or make large purchases in the six months before you plan to apply for a mortgage, unless absolutely necessary.
- Monitor your credit report frequently at www.annualcreditreport.com to check for errors.
- Pay your bills on time. Even one late charge or missed payment can negatively affect your score.
- If you have not previously established any credit, sign up for a secured credit card. You will prepay a set amount and then receive a card with a spending limit of that same amount—you can then use the card as you would a regular credit card.
For more information, read more at Buying a House with Bad Credit: Essential Tips.