Home buyer's Guide to Better Credit

Most people assume that the home buying process starts with getting pre-approved for a loan or with choosing a real estate agent. The quality of your wallet begins 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 end up renting longer than you expected in Vista until you improve your score.

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 normally having a score of 600. With the change in the economy, however, some borrowers have seen their score lowered after underemployment, delinquent credit card accounts, or credit card accounts that were closed because they don't carry a balance. Some of the pieces in reviewing your FICO score are:

• 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 loans and credit cards?
• Payment History — Do you pay your bills on time ?

When you apply for a mortgage or any other loan, lenders want to make sure that extending a loan to you isn't a problem. Your credit score gives lenders an insight into what type of borrower you are solely because of your credit history. You'll need a score of at least 700 to get a satisfactory interest rate. If your score is lower, you can still qualify for a loan, but the interest paid in the long run could be more than double the amount of an individual having a better credit score.

Getting your credit in order is the best way to ease into owning a home. Call us at 7607273776 and we can help you get on the right track to the home of your dreams.

You want a higher score, but how do you get it? Building your FICO score takes time. It can be hard to make a significant stride change in your credit score with quick fixes, but your score can improve in a few years by monitoring your credit report and by using credit extended to you to raise your score, instead of ruin it. The most important thing is to know your FICO score. You'll improve your credit score by using these helpful hints:

• Ensure that your credit history is correct. If you find mistakes on your credit report, contact 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 give extra care 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 maxed out and have the rest of your cards at a zero balance. It's better to have each of your cards at a lower balance than to have the bulk of your debt transferred to a single card.
• Chain store cards and gas cards. For those who have non-existent credit or less-than-stellar credit, chain store credit cards and gas credit cards are ways to establish your credit history, increase your spending limits and keep up your payments, which will raise your credit. You should always beware of holding a large balance for too long because these types of cards normally have a steeper interest rate.
• Keep your cards in rotation. Whether you have older cards, or are just getting started with credit, use your cards so that your accounts maintain an active status. But, pay them off in one or two payments.
• Pay on time. Your credit score plummets with each account that goes to collections. It's where people who have recently experienced job loss see the biggest dip in their credit score. Yes, it takes longer to build up your credit with payment history, but it's the most reliable way to show that you're able to make payments to a lender.

Knowing the methods you can use to raise your FICO score, you can move toward becoming a homeowner. Keep in mind that when you're ready to apply for a loan to purchase a house, 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 Stoneridge Realty & Property Management Services, the loan application process is sure to go more smoothly so you, too, can become a homeowner.

Get more information by visiting 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.