How Do Credit Scores Affect Mortgage Rates?

A home is a big and expensive purchase, one that can be made even more expensive by your credit score. In this article, we’ll show you how your credit score and mortgage are related and what you can do to improve your credit score and decrease your mortgage rate.

A big consideration in your mortgage rate is your credit score, since creditors and lenders use scoring models to determine your creditworthiness when extending a home loan. While a credit score is based on your credit history and is made up of different parts, it ultimately boils down to how reliable you are with paying back your loans.

And that’s what the lender is most worried about: you paying back your loans. If your credit score is lower, you can look like a riskier borrower who may have had trouble repaying debt in the past. If your credit score is higher, you probably look like a less-risky borrower to your lender. The interest rate a lender offers is going to reflect how risky a borrower they believe you to be.

How Mortgage Rates Change By Credit Scores

Since lenders rely on the borrower’s credit scores to determine how likely the borrower is to repay their loan, there is a relationship between credit scores and the mortgage rates that lenders assign to the loan.

The table below illustrates the relationship between credit score, annual percentage rate (APR), and ultimately your total monthly payment using a loan amount of $300,000. The better the credit score, the lower the APR and the lower the monthly payment:

Source: MyFico

While some mortgage types have lower credit requirements to qualify for a conventional loan from Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae , you’ll typically need a FICO® credit score of at least 620.

But 620 is the minimum – some lenders may have set a higher minimum credit score for their loans. According to Freddie Mac, it’ll be tough to secure a mortgage with a credit score that’s below 650.

Remember that your credit score is just one piece of the pie. Lenders will also look at other factors to assess your financial picture such as your income, employment history, how long you’ve lived at your current residence and your cash flow.

While you may be able to qualify for a mortgage with a lower credit score, it’s in your best interest to try to work to improve your credit score if possible. It can save you money on your home loan and on other loans you may want to take out in the future.

If you’re working to build your credit score, we have tips to help you do that:

Make On-Time Payments On Your Loans

A great way to boost your credit score is to focus on making on-time payments. This includes any accounts that show up on your credit report such as revolving credit (credit cards) and installment credit (auto loans, student loans and personal loans).

If you have problems remembering to pay on time, set up automatic reminders. If you’re also having trouble keeping up with your payments, reach out to the creditor or lender to see if they can move the date of your monthly payment cycle so they’re more in sync with your paychecks.

Don’t Hit Your Credit Limit

Getting close to maxing out on your credit card limits will ding your credit. It’s what’s known as credit usage or credit utilization. Expressed as a percentage, credit usage is the balance you’re carrying against the limit of your total cards.

A general rule of thumb is to try to keep your credit usage to 30% or under. So if the limit on all your cards is $100,000, ideally your total balance on all your cards should be no higher than $30,000.

Have A Long Credit History

Your credit score also is affected by how long your credit history is. The longer your history of making on-time payments, the better your score will be. You might want to consider keeping some older credit cards active because a shorter credit history will negatively impact your credit.

Check Your Credit

Errors on your credit score can cost you and could make it more challenging for you to qualify for a loan. Check your credit report regularly and review it for errors. You can check your credit history for free at AnnualCreditReport.com.

If your credit score isn’t stellar, there are some opportunities to secure a mortgage another way.

FHA Loan

First-time home buyers will only need a credit score of 500 to qualify for an FHA loan. That said, 500 is the minimum and it’s more likely you’ll qualify for a mortgage with a score of 580 and above.

If your credit score is at least 580, you’ll need to come up with a down payment of at least 3.5%. If your score is below that, you’re looking at a minimum required down payment of 10%.

It’s also important to note that some sellers will not accept FHA loans. Some sellers believe that FHA loans are riskier than conventional loans. They come with stringent home appraisal requirements that can make sellers nervous.

VA Loans

Qualified veterans and service members have the option of using a VA loan to buy a home. While the Department of Veterans Affairs doesn’t have any set credit requirements, most lenders do. Rocket Mortgage® has a VA loan required credit score minimum of 580.

USDA Loans

While the USDA also doesn’t have a minimum credit requirement, most mortgage lenders will require you to have a minimum credit score of 640 for a USDA loan.

HomeReady

HomeReady®, a Fannie Mae home loan program, allows borrowers to qualify for a mortgage with a minimum credit score of 620. While that is the minimum requirement, a score of 680 or higher will get you a better mortgage rate and term.

Buying a home is the largest purchase many people will ever make. There is a strong correlation between your credit score and mortgage rates so it’s important to understand how a credit score affects your ability to qualify for a mortgage and how much you’ll pay to borrow money. A higher credit score can save you a lot of money in the long run.

If you’re looking to take control of your financial future, check out the Rocket Homes℠ Credit FAQ for more information and tips.