Thoughts on Credit and Getting a Mortgage
Credit plays a huge role in getting a mortgage because it is a variable that helps the lender determine the likelihood that the loan will be repaid on a timely basis. Credit bureaus evaluate people's credit worthiness using a FICO score. The higher the score the better the borrower's credit. The mortgage rate charged to a borrower depends on their credit score. There is an inverse relationship between credit score and interest rate changed. The higher the score the lower the rate and the lower the score, the higher the rate. Two separate buyers with the same income, purchasing the same price home may both be approved by the lender, but they may be charged different interest rates based on their credit scores. You could save thousands of dollars over the life of a loan by improving your credit score by just a few points. A $350,000 mortgage at 3.5% has a principal and interest payment of $1,571.66. By improving your credit score to qualify for a 3% rate, it