Higher Credit Helps You Get a Loan
Take Steps to Keep Your Credit Rating High
Homebuyers looking to take advantage of great FHA loan benefits should already know they need to establish the best possible credit rating. Applicants with a better credit rating increase their options for mortgage or refinance loans. In order to qualify for the low 3.5 percent FHA loan down payment, applicants will need a FICO score of at least 580. Those that don't meet that criteria will have to put a down payment of 10 percent on the mortgage they want.
FHA loans are designed to help homebuyers, so these government-insured loans usually come with more lenient requirements than typical mortgages or refinancing terms from traditional lenders. While the benefits don't vary much between someone with good credit and excellent credit, there is a very noticeable margin for those with bad credit and average to good credit.
Why You Need a Better Credit Score
While the 580 FICO score threshold is a major factor in how an applicant will pay for a mortgage, your credit score isn't the only thing the FHA takes into account. Payment history, bankruptcies and foreclosures are also issues that the agency looks at. While these factors may hurt your credit score, they don't necessarily eliminate you from loan eligibility.
That doesn't mean, however, that you can neglect your credit. While the FHA is lenient enough to help those with bad credit ratings, they also require recent credit history to be in good standing.
Extenuating circumstances like job loss, injury or anything else that prevented you to pay in a timely manner can, and most likely will, be taken into account. However, if you have demonstrated you purposely neglected payments or your credit rating, your chances of qualifying for an FHA loan will be reduced.
Be Safe, Not Sorry With Your Credit
Obviously, it's better to have good credit than bad credit when applying for any loan. Don't take your credit history for granted, though, because you might find an error or inaccuracy that could hurt your chances of qualifying for an FHA loan. Instead of going through the headache of disputing your application with your agency and holding up the process, be proactive and make sure your credit score and ratings are where they should be before approaching the FHA.
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FHA Loan Articles and Mortgage News
May 22, 2023 - Your income matters if you want to buy or build a home with an FHA mortgage. But there are some misconceptions about home loan approval regarding income. Do you know the difference between the facts and the fiction about home loan income requirements?
May 17, 2023 - New house hunters have to learn plenty of numbers associated with FHA home loans. The amount of your down payment is one of those; the amount of time your FHA mortgage insurance will last is another.
May 6, 2023 - Rates go high, and rates fall. There is a cycle at work that is driven by a range of influences, including Fed actions to shore up the U.S. economy, investor reaction to those efforts, buyer enthusiasm, plus local housing inventory and competition for it.
May 3, 2023 - What is the difference between a home loan modification and recasting a home loan? These two practices have very specific applications; they are not different names for the same thing. Your specific needs for one of these will determine how you apply for one option or the other.
May 1, 2023 - If you are new to house hunting and home loans, you might understandably be tempted to view your potential mortgage payment as nothing more than the principal and interest multiplied by the number of months of your loan term.
