Marc Guzman

By Marc Guzman

We all know how important your credit score is when it comes to borrowing money for credit cards, auto loans and home loans.  But how many of us really take the time to educate our clients on the benefits of preparing their credit score before they buy a home?

Buying a home can be very exciting and a daunting process.  Home buyers do a lot from preparing paperwork for the loan officer, research and viewing properties with their REALTOR®, reviewing disclosures and signing paperwork, to saving enough money for the down payment.  But in working with many buyers, both first-time and experienced, it is amazing to me how many buyers overlook the importance of their credit score.  Many buyers think saving the down payment is sufficient as long as their credit score is above 620.  You know that question, “What is the minimum credit score I need to qualify?”

But the truth of it all is, no matter what the credit score, it is important to begin working on improvements 6 months to 1 year before buying a house; longer in other cases.  It takes some time to significantly increase the score.  You may also want to partner with a company that specializes in credit counseling.  Now why place so much emphasis on improving an already qualifying score?

• Average score for buyers using conventional financing is 760
• Average score for buyers using conventional financing in which the loans were purchase by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac was 755
• Only 1 percent of loans were offered to buyer with less than 620 credit score
• 75 percent of loans were offered to buyers with credit score of Continue reading »