Your FICO Score

Scoring Your Credit

Applying for a Loan - Scoring Your Credit | Greater Orlando RealtyMost people assume that the home buying process starts with getting pre-approved by a lender or with choosing a real estate agent. In reality, the home buying process begins with your finances. Saving your money for a down payment is great, but if you don't have a strong credit score to reinforce it, you could find yourself renting for another couple of years in Altamonte Springs until your score improves.

The Fair Isaac Company bases your FICO score on the summary of your complete credit history. The score ranges from 300 to 850, with most people traditionally having a score of 600. With the change in the economy, however, some borrowers have seen their score lowered because of unemployment, charged off credit card accounts, or credit card accounts closed by the lender due to inactivity. Some of the factors in deciding your FICO score are:
  • Credit Inquiries — Do you have too many open accounts?
  • Types of Credit — Do you have a healthy mix of credit cards and loans?
  • Payment History — How many times do you make late payments?
  • Credit to Debt Ratio — How much do you owe versus how much credit you have available?

In reviewing your credit history, you'll find 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. Because of this, you have three scores, one for each bureau.

Lenders want to be positive that allowing you a loan isn't a risk for them. Your credit score gives lenders an insight into 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 satisfactory interest rate. You can qualify for a mortgage with a lower score, but the interest accrued over the life of the loan could be more than double that of someone with a stronger FICO score.

Getting your credit in order is the best way to ease into buying a home. Call us at 407-774-9858 and we can help you get on the right track to the home of your dreams.

How do you boost your credit score? Improving your FICO score takes time. It can be difficult 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 your credit wisely. The best way to do this is to know your FICO score. Here are some methods to improve your credit score:

  • Applying for a Loan - Improving Your Credit | Greater Orlando RealtyEnsure that your credit history is correct. 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.
  • Spread your debt around. At first, this doesn't sound 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 a lower balance than to have the most of your debt taking up the balance a single card.
  • Apply for service station cards or 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 spending limits and stay on top of your payments, which will raise your FICO score. You should always avoid carrying a large balance for more than a couple of billing cycles because these types of cards more than likely have a steeper interest rate.
  • 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 so that your accounts maintain an active status. But, pay them off in one or two payments.
  • Stay on top of payments. How often you're late with payments greatly affects your credit score. It's one of the reasons people who have recently experienced job loss see the biggest dip in their credit score. Yes, it takes longer to build up your credit this way, but it's the most reliable way to prove that you're responsible enough to make payments to a bank.
Now that you're more informed about credit reporting, you'll be able to successfully take the first steps to homeownership, and that is improving your FICO score. Remember that when it's time to apply for a loan to purchase a home, you'll want to keep your applications within a two-week window to avoid a negative mark on your credit score. With the help of Greater Orlando Realty USA, Inc, shopping for a mortgage 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 once per year, for free, you can review all three of your credit reports 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.