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The “American Dream” is becoming a reality for more families than ever before. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (www.hud.gov) over 67.7 percent of Americans are now homeowners. This is the highest homeownership ever.

The chances of becoming a homeowner are greatly improved when you know and understand your credit score. Lenders use many factors in determining whether or not to approve a loan and your credit score is one of them. Lenders also look at your income in relation to the amount of your debt, your employment history, and how much money are do you have in reserves in case of emergency. Although your credit score is just one factor in determining if your loan will be approved, it is an important one and it is one that you can improve.

Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report annually from each of the three national consumer credit companies. A central location has been set up at www.annualcreditreport.com. Here, you can also obtain your credit score (one from each of the companies) for a small fee.

Your credit score is a “snapshot” of your credit history, which changes often. It can also be called your FICO score because the three national consumer credit companies use software to determine the score developed by Fair Isaac and Company. FICO scores range from 300 to 850 and the higher the score the better your chances of obtaining credit. According to myFICO (a division of Fair Isaac and Company) www.myfico.com, the national average is 723. This does not mean that if your credit score is lower than the national average that you will not become a homeowner. There are many loan programs available that allow lower credit scores. You may pay a higher interest rate on your mortgage, but you will achieve the American dream of owning a home.

According to myFICO, there are five factors used in calculating your credit score. Your payment history represents 35 percent of the number. This is followed by the amount you owe at 30 percent. The length of your credit history represents 15 percent of your FICO score and any new credit and the types of credit you use represent 10 percent each. Knowing these factors can help you improve your score.

Your payment history makes up the largest part of your FICO score. If you want to improve your score it can be as simple as pay your bills on time. If you have missed payments, get caught up. Over time, this will improve your score. The longer you pay your bills on time, the better your score.

A factor in determining your credit score is the amount of debt you actually owe versus the amount of credit that is available to you. Hence, paying down your obligations will improve your credit score. You do not want to close your unused credit cards since they will show you have more credit available to you than you are actually using. Paying off debt is good while closing the paid off debt can actually hurt your score.

In order to determine a credit history, you must have at least one piece of credit reporting for at least six months. So if you find that you have no credit score, you need to find a way to establish credit for a period of six months. Although you need to watch for various credit scams, there are secured credit cards available that will meet this need.

Since your credit score is a “snapshot,” opening t0o many new accounts in a short period of time will hurt your credit score. This is caused by your average account age being reduced by all the newly established credit.

When you apply for credit (i.e. mortgage, auto loan or credit card) the company will look at your credit report. This is called a credit inquiry. Although too many credit inquiries can lower your credit score, opening new credit and paying it on time will improve your overall score. You reviewing your own credit, as long as you are obtaining your credit report from an organization authorized to provide credit reports to consumers, will not affect your credit score.

It is better to have credit cards and pay them on time, than to not have any credit at all. A lender will look at a mortgage loan or large installment debt more closely than a small credit card. However, all types of credit, including paid off and closed accounts, are used in calculating your credit score.

If your credit score is low, often the best way to raise your chances of becoming a homeowner is by paying your debts on time, and for a period of time. The longer you demonstrate your ability and willingness to pay your obligations, the greater the chances you will be able to achieve the “American Dream” of homeownership.

Jim Campanella is the Operations Manager of Fresh Start Financial Services, a mortgage broker in Rolling Meadows, IL.

Since 1989, Jim has been active in State and National professional associations/trade organizations in the mortgage industry. in 2004, Jim Campanella was recognised by the Illinois Association of Mortgage Brokers as the Mortgage Broker Operations Manager of the Year. He has spoken on a range of mortgage related topics from coast to coast.

Fresh Start Financial Services is a licensed mortgage broker in the States of IA, IL and WI and originates loans also in CO, IN and MO. In 2003, the Illinois Association of Mortgage Brokers recognised the mortgage broker as the Subprime Mortgage Broker of the Year.

Jim and his family make their home in Rockton, IL.

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Fair Isaac Corporation uses 22 pieces of data collected from the three major credit bureaus to produce a FICO score (your credit score) with the lowest possible score of 300 and 850 as the highest possible score. There are 5 weighted categories used to determine your score.

• Payment history 35%
• Debt 30%
• Length of Credit history 15%
• New Credit 10%
• Types of Credit used 10%

The two largest factors in obtaining a high credit score is to make sure you pay on time and keep your debt load low. The sad reality is only 13% of all Americans have a FICO score above 800. This means most Americans are paying more money for the exact same items.

Let me make my point with this car purchase example:

Very Good Score (800)
Loan amount $35,000
Term: 48 months
Interest Rate: 3%
Payment: $775

Average score (700)
Loan amount $35,000
Term: 48 months
Interest Rate: 9%
Payment: $871

This means the customer with an average score will pay $96 more a month for the exact same car. Over the life of the loan that extra $96 equals $4608 extra! Imagine if this was a mortgage! The dollar amounts would in the hundreds of thousands.

So what’s next?

Get focused and realize the lower your FICO score the more you will pay for items bought with credit or loans. This is equivalent to being a second class citizen right here in the Untied States of America. It’s time to fight back and recapture your good credit.

• Pay on time!
• Take action to reduce your debt. (Don’t just pay the minimum on your credit cards.)
• Don’t close old accounts.
• Don’t open new lines of credit.

It takes time and discipline to increase or maintain a high credit score, but the cost of not doing so is dramatic. A higher FICO score is in reach. Begin with the four “next steps” listed above and over time your score should improve.

Robert Hill is a Staff writer for:
http://www.havegoodcredit.com
http://www.havegoodcredit.com/blog/

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Credit report repair refers to the procedures adopted to improve one’s credit rating. A good credit report is a vital part of business health, because it links your personal credit history to your business. It is very essential to check your credit report regularly, since one’s credibility and promptness in repaying accumulated credit hinges on a good credit report. If you find incorrect information on your credit report, the onus is on you to start making corrections.

The personal data in your credit report determines your credit scores, and also becomes a proof of good character (showing the willingness and ability to repay debts). Wrong information can reduce the credit score and the scope of obtaining a loan at a good rate, or even getting a loan at all. So, it is advisable to identify problem areas and begin doing something about them, rather than waiting until your banker asks to do so.

Credit report repair can either be entrusted to companies or an individual can undertake the responsibility. In the “self-help credit approach,” debtors can freely dispute items they legitimately believe are incorrect. The debtors can take a few simple steps to check their credit report’s data for accuracy. One’s name, spouse’s name, social security number, date of birth, residential addresses, and employers have to be accurately entered. In addition, check items that should be removed, including bankruptcies (10 years), suits, judgments, tax liens, delinquent payment records and other unfavorable information (7 years).

Other categories to be checked for accuracy are open accounts, closed accounts, inaccurate data, payment histories, and accounts wrongly categorized. When an individual locates incorrect data, “”credit counseling agencies”" are to be contacted for information on their dispute process. These agencies help in making payment plans by checking whether bankruptcy is an essential step, as well as advising credit bureaus to remove data that is truly wrong on credit reports. Almost all these agencies are non-profit organizations and not scams. Even with a 30-day response time required by law, checking facts and correcting errors may take months to complete.

Credit Repair provides detailed information on Credit Repair, Credit Report Repair, Bad Credit Repair, Credit Repair Services and more. Credit Repair is affiliated with Free Credit Ratings.

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