• Are Elevators Becoming the Wave of the Future?

• Common Closing Costs For Buyers

• Credit Scores and How They Affect Your Mortgage

• Curb Appeals, What Does it all Mean?

• Eight Reasons for Sale By Owner's Need a Realtor

• Eight Ways to Improve Your Credit

• FAQ's about the Great Lakes

• Five Factors that Decide your Credit Score

• Five Property Tax Questions You Should Ask

• Five Things To Understand About Homeowners Insurance

• Five Ways to Speed Up The Sale of Your Home

• Glossary of Financial Terms

• How "Range Pricing" can help you Sell Your Home

• How to Appeal your Property Taxes

• How to Determine Your Debit to Income Ratio

• How to Estimate Property Taxes on Your New Home

• Inexpensive Home Fixes

• Moving Tips For Sellers

• Overcoming First Time Home Buyer Fears

• Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)

• Passing The Home Inspection

• Seven Things you Should NOT do Before Purchasing a Home

• Seven Reasons to Own Your Own Home

• Should I Do a Bridge Loan?

• Tax Advantages on Rental Real Estate

• The Do's and Don'ts When Showing Your Home

• Ten Things A Lender Needs From You

• Ten Questions For Buyers to Ask The Home Inspector

• Ten Questions to Ask Your Condo Board

• Ten Questions to Ask Your Lender

• Ten Ways to Lower Homeowner Insurance Costs

• Ten Ways to Make Your Home Irresistible At An Open House

• Ten Ways to Winterize Your Home

• Ten Things to Take The Trauma Out of Home Buying

• Tips That Could Help Renters Become Homeowners

• Tips For Finding The Perfect Neighborhood

• Tips For Packing Like a Pro

• The Pros and Cons of Condos

• The Pros and Cons of Interest Only Mortgages

• Understanding Taxable Values

• Understanding Capital Gains in Real Estate

• What is a Mortgage Buydown?

• What Is Appraised Value?

• What is an ePRO

• What is an Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR)

• What is an Accredited Staging Professional (ASP)

• What the Buyers Home Inspection Should Cover

• What Buyers Should Not Overlook on the Final Walk Through

• Where Buyers Come From

• Why Basements Leak

• Why is My House Not Selling?

• Your New Home Wish List

• Selling In A Buyers Market

Credit scores, along with your overall income and debt, are a big

factor in determining if you'll qualify for a loan and what loan terms

you'll be able to qualify for. 

1. Check for and correct errors in your credit report. Mistakes

happen, and you could be paying for someone else's poor financial

management. 
2. Pay down credit card bills. If possible, pay off the entire balance every month. However, transferring credit card debt from one card to another could lower your score. 
3. Don't charge your credit cards to the maximum limit. 
4. Wait 12 months after credit difficulties to apply for a mortgage. You're penalized less for problems after a year. 
5. Don't purchase big-ticket items for your new home on credit cards until after the loan is approved. The amounts will add to your debt. 
6. Don't open new credit card accounts before applying for a mortgage. Having too much available credit can lower your score. 
7. Shop for mortgage rates all at once. Too many credit applications can lower your score, but multiple inquiries from the same type of lender are counted as one inquiry if submitted over a short period of time. 
8. Avoid finance companies. Even if you pay the loan on time, the interest is high and it will probably be considered a sign of poor credit management.

This information is copyrighted by the Fannie Mae Foundation and is used with permission of the Fannie Mae Foundation. To obtain a complete copy of the publication, "Knowing and Understanding Your Credit," visit http://www.homebuyingguide.org.

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