Credit


If you're thinking about buying a home, you should also be thinking about your credit. The first step in the homebuying process is understanding your credit.

When you apply for a mortgage, lenders will review your credit report. Your credit report is a history of how you've managed your finances: it's a record of money you've borrowed and your history of paying it back.

Your credit report is a record of all your credit transactions whenever and wherever you've used credit to purchase goods and services. Your credit will have a big influence on whether or not you can get a mortgage, the terms of that loan, and the interest rate. If you have good credit, you may have a much wider range of mortgage offers with lower rates.

So how do you better understand credit?

• Be aware of how important your credit history is to the process. Establish good credit and protect your credit.
• Look at your credit report and credit scores.
• Make sure you correct any mistakes on your credit report right away.