Scoring Your FICO

The home buying process doesn't start with getting pre-approved for a loan or with choosing a real estate agent. In reality, the home buying process begins and ends with your finances. Putting back your money for a down payment is great, but if you don't have a strong credit score to back it up, you could find yourself renting for another couple of years in Cary, North Carolina until you improve your score.

The Fair Isaac Company bases your FICO score on the summary of your total credit history. Most people traditionally have a score of 650, but scores are tiered from 300 to 850. With the change in the economy, however, some people have seen their score drop dramatically after loss of employment, closed credit card accounts, or credit card accounts closed by the lender due to inactivity. Some of the pieces in deciding your FICO score are:

• Types of Credit — Do you have a healthy mix of credit cards and loans?
• 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 — How many times has your credit history been accessed by someone other than you?

In reviewing your credit history, 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 determine your credit rating. FICO is used by Experian. Equifax's model is called BEACON and TransUnion uses EMPIRICA. You have a credit score with all of the bureaus.

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 an insight into what type of borrower you'd be based solely on your credit history. You'll need a score of at least 700 to get a satisfactory interest rate. You can qualify for a loan with a lower score, but the interest accrued in the long run could be more than double that of an individual having a stronger FICO 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 raise your score. Improving your FICO score takes time. It can be hard to make a significant stride change in your FICO score with quick fixes, but your score can improve in a few years by monitoring your credit report and by wisely using credit. The best way to do this is to know your FICO score. You'll improve your credit score by using these pointers:

• Don't let your cards get dusty. Whether you're just getting started with credit, or if you've got older cards, be sure to use your cards to make sure your accounts stay active. But, be sure to pay them off in no more than two or three payments.
• Pay on time. How often you're late with payments greatly affects your credit score. It's where 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 show that you're responsible enough to make payments to a lender.
• Correct your credit report. If you discover mistakes 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.
• Even out your debt. At first, this doesn't sound like a good idea. But, you don't want to have one card that is at the limit 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 most of your debt taking up the balance a single card.
• Apply for gas cards or department store credit. For those who have no credit or low credit, retail credit cards and gas credit cards are ways to begin your credit history, increase your credit limits and have a solid payment history, which will raise your credit. You should always beware of maintaining a high balance for too long because these types of cards normally have a surprising interest rate.

Knowing the ways you can improve your FICO score, you can move toward becoming a homeowner. Know 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 RE/MAX Performance, shopping for a mortgage is sure to go more smoothly 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.