First-Time Buyer's Guide to Better Credit

Choosing a lender isn't the first step in becoming a homeowner. The content of your wallet starts the home buying process. Putting back your money for a down payment is great, but if you lack a strong credit score to reinforce it, you could find yourself renting longer than you expected in Covina, California until your FICO score is acceptable.

The Fair Isaac Company calculates your FICO score on the summary of your complete credit history. Most people usually have a score of 600, but scores are tiered from 300 to 850. Job loss has been common in the last few years, but FICO scores aren't necessarily adjusted "on a curve." A low score is just that and often means you can't get a decent interest rate. Some of the factors in reviewing your FICO score are:

• Payment History — How many months do you make late payments?
• Credit to Debt Ratio — How much do you owe versus your available credit?
• Credit Inquiries — Do you have too many open accounts?
• Types of Credit — Do you have a healthy mix of credit cards and loans?

When you pull your credit report, you'll see that you actually have three reports. Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — three of the major credit reporting agencies — use a slightly different systems to calculate your credit rating. FICO is used by Experian. Equifax's model is called BEACON and TransUnion uses EMPIRICA. As a result, you have three scores, one for each bureau.

Lenders want to be positive that giving you a loan is a safe move. Your FICO score gives lenders an insight into what type of borrower you'll be based solely on your credit history. You'll need a score of at least 700 to get a acceptable interest rate. You can get approved for a loan with a lower score, but the interest paid over the life of the loan could be more than double the amount of an individual having a stronger FICO score.

Getting your credit in order is the best way to ease into buying a home. Call us at (626) 608-7310 and we can help you get on the right track to the home of your dreams.

You want an improved score, but how do you get there? Improving your FICO score takes time. It can be hard to make a large-scale change in your credit score with small changes, but your score can improve in a few years by monitoring your credit report and by using your credit wisely. The most important thing is to know your FICO score. Here are some methods to improve your credit score:

• Keep your cards in rotation. Whether you have older cards, or are just getting started with credit, be sure to use your cards to make sure your accounts maintain an active status. But, make sure you pay them off in one or two payments.
• Stay on top of payments. Your credit score plummets with each account that goes to collections. It's one of the reasons people who have recently experienced job loss see the biggest hit in their credit score. Yes, it takes longer to rebuild your credit this way, but it's the surest way to prove that you're able to make payments to a bank.
• Correct your credit report. If you find mistakes on your credit report, write to the bureau requesting that the item be removed. If you have a common name or the same name as a family member, you'll want to pay extra attention to make sure the activity reported is correct.
• Even out your debt. At first, this doesn't sound like a good idea. But, you want to avoid of having one card that is at the maximum and have your remaining cards at a zero balance. It's better to have each of your cards at about 20% of their credit limit than to have the most of your debt taking up the balance one card.
• Apply for service station cards or store credit. For those who have non-existent credit or below average credit, chain store credit cards and gas credit cards are ways to begin your credit history, increase your spending limits and keep up your payments, which will raise your FICO score. You should always beware of carrying a high balance for more than a couple of billing cycles because these types of cards more than likely have a higher interest rate.

Now that you know more about credit reporting, you'll be able to successfully take the first steps to homeownership, and that is improving your FICO score. Know that when you're ready to apply for a loan to purchase a home, you'll want to keep your credit inquiries within a two-week window to avoid a negative mark on your credit score. With the help of In Home Realty, the loan application process can be a stress-free experience so you, too, can achieve home ownership.

Learn more about FICO scores at myFICO.com, Fair Isaac's informational site and you can review all of your credit reports for free each year at annualcreditreport.com. And, for a small payment, you can get your FICO score from each bureau on their websites: equifax.com, experian.com and transunion.com.