First-Time Buyer's Guide to Better Credit

Choosing a lender isn't the first step in becoming a homeowner. In reality, the home buying process begins and ends with your finances. Without a reasonable credit score, entering into a loan for a house is more difficult and, you could end up renting longer than you expected in Prairieville until your score improves.

A FICO score is a review of your years of credit history based on a model developed by Fair Isaac and Company. The score ranges from 300 to 850, with the majority of people traditionally having a score of 600. 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 credit extended to you via a mortgage loan. Some of the factors in summing up your FICO score are:

• Types of Credit — Do you have a healthy mix of credit cards and loans?
• Payment History — Do you pay your bills on time each month?
• Credit to Debt Ratio — How much do you owe versus how much credit you have available?
• Credit Inquiries — Do you have too many open accounts?

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 models 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 scoring model.

When you apply for a mortgage or any other loan, lenders want to make sure that extending a loan to you isn't a risk. Your FICO score gives lenders a view of what type of borrower you'll be solely because of your credit history. Because of the shift in the economy, most home buyers should have scores in the range of 740 or higher to get a decent interest rate. If your score is less than that, you can still qualify for a loan, but the interest accumulated in the long run could be more than double that of someone having a superior credit score.

Staying on top of your FICO score is the first step in purchasing a home. Contact us and we can help you get on the right track to the home of your dreams.

There are plans to boost your score. Improving your FICO score takes time. It can be rare to make a large-scale change in your credit score with small changes, but your score can improve in a year by monitoring your credit report and by using your credit wisely. The most important thing is to know your FICO score. Here are some ways you can improve your credit score:

• Keep up with payments. Delinquent payments instantly lower your credit score. It's where people who have recently been unemployed see the biggest hit in their credit score. Yes, it takes longer to restore your credit with payment history, but it's the surest way to show that you're responsible enough to make payments to a lender.
• Correct your credit report. If you discover incorrect items on your credit report, write to the bureau asking that the item be removed. If you have a common name or the same name as a family member, you'll want to give extra care to make sure the activity reported is correct.
• Spread your debt around. At first, this doesn't seem like a good idea. But, you steer clear of having one card that is at the maximum and have the rest of your cards at a zero balance. It's better to have each of your cards at about 25% of their credit limit than to have all of your debt sitting on a single card.
• Store cards and gas cards. For those who have non-existent credit or low credit, chain store credit cards and gas credit cards are ways to establish your credit history, increase your credit limits and stay on top of your payments, which will raise your credit. You must always avoid holding a large balance for more than a couple of months because these types of cards usually have a surprising interest rate.
• Keep your cards active. Whether you're just getting started with credit, or if you've got older cards, be sure to use your cards so that your accounts maintain an active status. But, be sure to pay them off in one or two payments.

Now that you're better informed about credit reporting, you'll be able to successfully take the first step in owning a home, and that is improving your FICO score. Keep in mind that when you're ready to apply for a loan to purchase a house, you'll want to keep your lender applications within a two-week window to avoid damaging your credit score. With the help of Weichert, Realtors - Villar and Company, shopping for a mortgage is sure to go more smoothly so you, too, can become a homeowner.

Learn more about FICO scores at myFICO.com, Fair Isaac's informational site and review your credit history for free 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.