First-Time Buyer's Guide to Better Credit

Choosing a lender isn't the first step in becoming a homeowner. In reality, the home buying process begins and ends with your finances. Saving your money for a down payment is a good idea, but if you lack an acceptable credit score to reinforce it, you could find yourself renting longer than you expected in Park City until you raise your score.

A FICO score is a review of your years of credit history based on an instrument developed by Fair Isaac and Company. Most people usually have a score of 600, but scores are tiered from 300 to 850. Even though more people these days are experiencing job loss and delinquent credit cards, FICO scores aren't necessarily adjusted "on a curve." A low score is a low score and that often means you can't get a loan. Some of the factors in deciding your FICO score are:

• Payment History — Do you pay your bills on time each month?
• 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?
• Types of Credit — Do you have a healthy mix of credit cards and loans?

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 FICO score gives lenders an insight into what type of borrower you are based solely on your credit history. You'll need a score of at least 740 to get a decent interest rate. If your score is less than that, you can still qualify for a loan, but the interest accrued in the long run could be more than double the amount of an individual having a stronger FICO score.

Improving your FICO is the best way to ease into buying a home. Contact us and we can help you get on the right track to the home of your dreams.

There are methods to raise your score. Improving your FICO score takes time. It can be rare to make a large-scale change in your credit score with small changes, but your score can improve in a year by monitoring your credit report and by using your credit wisely. The most important thing is to know your FICO score. Here are some ways you can improve your credit score:

• Apply for gas station cards or department store credit. For those who have non-existent credit or less-than-stellar credit, chain store credit cards and gas credit cards are ways to improve credit, increase your credit limits and stay on top of your payments, which will raise your credit. You must always beware of holding a large balance for more than a couple of months because these types of cards more than likely have a larger interest rate.
• Don't let your cards get dusty. 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 no more than two or three payments.
• Keep up with payments. Late payments kill your credit history. It's one of the reasons people who have recently experienced job loss see the biggest hit in their credit score. Yes, it takes longer to build up your credit with payment history, but it's the surest way to show that you're able to make payments to a bank.
• Correct your credit report. If you find mistakes on your credit report, write to 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.
• Spread your debt around. At first, this doesn't seem like a good idea. But, you want to avoid of having one card that is maxed out and have your remaining cards at a zero balance. It's better to have each of your cards at about 25% of their credit limit than to have the most of your debt taking up the balance a single card.

Knowing the methods you can use to raise your FICO score, you can move toward becoming a homeowner. Know that when it's time to apply for a loan to purchase a home, you'll want to keep your lender applications within a two-week window to avoid a negative mark on your credit score. With the help of Brown & Company of Park City, Inc., the loan process can be a stress-free experience so you, too, can become a homeowner.

To learn more, visit 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.