How does my credit score affect my mortgage loan application?
Today we will look at credit reports for a potential mortgage borrower, what impacts the score, and how to improve your score.
When a lender runs a credit report on a potential borrower, there are three National Repositories that will report a credit score. They are:
1. Equifax
2. Experian
3. Transunion
Most lenders will use the middle of the three credit scores to determine what type of loan and what interest rate a borrower qualifies for. Generically speaking, the higher the score, the lower the interest rate a consumer will be offered.
These three reporting entities will provide a credit score that is used to determine the risk associated with a particular borrower regarding repayment of the loan. A number of credit related variables are used to calculate the credit score. The credit score is used as a predictor as to the likelihood that the consumer will have late payments in the next 24 months. The lower the score, the greater likelihood that the borrower will be late on a payment or payments.
What are the variables that have the greatest impact on the credit score and their relative weight in the scoring?
Past Payment History – 35%
-Late payments are shown for payments that are 30, 60 and 90 days late.
Current Account Balances – 30%
-Any account that has a balance of greater than 30% of the available credit limit will reduce the credit score. Balances of more than 50% will result in even lower scores.
Credit History – 15%
-How long have you had the account? Typically, the longer the better.
New credit cards will lower your score at first.
-Closing out an account will have a negative impact on your score.
Types of Credit – 10%
-The most heavily weighted type of credit is those with finance companies
Credit Inquiries – 10%
-Too many inquiries will result in lower scores
The following table will provide information on the length of time that your credit will be impacted by certain events.
Payment History………….7 years(Date of last activity)
Collection accounts………7 years(Date of origination)
Judgments………………..7 years (filed)
Chapter 7………………10 years (entry)
Chapter 13……………….7 years (entry)
Inquiries………………….2 years /90 days
Tax Liens…………………7 years / (PAID)
By law, there are some factors that cannot be used in the scoring model.
Race/Nationality
Gender
Age
Religion
Marital status/Sexual Preference
Employment/Length of Employment/Position or Title
Income
Address
Interest rate charged on a particular credit card
In summary, to receive the highest credit scores, you should have 3-5 credit lines that you pay on time and keep a balance of less than 30% of the credit limit. Spread out the use of multiple cards so that you have a low balance on all of them.
Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in learning more about how to increase your credit score or if you have any questions regarding credit and/or mortgage loans.
NMLS # 838973
Keith Harris
Senior Loan Officer
Intercoastal Mortgage Company
Direct: (703) 259-0788
Cell: (703) 395-6601
The JS Realty Team – not only serving Brambleton, serving all of Northern Virginia.
Recently listed For Lease is the charming and historic “Olde Mill” building, located at 20704 Ashburn Road in Ashburn, VA.
Right off the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail and Ashburn Road, this building is in a prime and highly sought-after location!
As you can see there are many options for beginners and seasoned players . If you are just starting out, Brambleton Golf Course offers 
This wonderfully updated town home features 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and 2 half-bathrooms. There is fresh paint throughout the entire home and hardwood floors on main level. The kitchen was recently remodeled and updated kitchen has new granite countertops, new cabinets, a built-in microwave, and tile floor.
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more difficult. If this is the case, but you definitely want to rent, you should consider using the experience of the Property Management Team at the JS Realty Team. Our Property Management Team will make the managing of your home as stress-free as possible. And if you do plan on returning to the area after a couple of years away, then you need to determine if you are going to want to move back into the same home, or find a new one.
This is another major factor to consider. How tolerant will you be of strangers living in your home? For example, if having your prized landscaping not kept up to your standards would make you upset, you may want to reconsider if renting is right for you. No matter how well you screen your potential tenants, there is still the potential that they will not treat your home like you do. The JS Realty Team performs our due diligence when screening potential tenants and we have had tenants that have left our clients homes in better condition than when they first moved in. On the flip side, we’ve also had tenants that did not fare as well as we would like. You are always taking a chance when you let strangers live in your home.
You see flags all the time; in front of schools, public offices, even homes. But did you know there is an official Flag Code? This code formalizes and unifies the traditional ways in which we give respect to the flag, and also contains specific instructions on how the flag is not to be used. According to the code, “The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.”
Initially, there were no reasons left as to why Red, White, and Blue were chosen to represent the USA. However, in 1782, Congress chose the same colors for the Great Seal and offered this designation:
New Year’s Day—January 1
Independence Day—July 4
In addition, half-staff the Flag (sunrise to sunset) on these days:
The answer is YES, you absolutely do! In fact, there are actually some reasons you need a Realtor more today than ever before. Buying and selling a home is such an exciting time in your life. Why try to reinvent the wheel and spend countless hours researching market information or looking for a document that may or may not be outdated? Enjoy your time looking at homes and preparing for a successful transaction by hiring a Realtor to help you along the way.
Any full time Agent has a multitude of subscriptions to websites that assist or help in the home buying or selling process (you should see our username spreadsheet, it is several pages long!). Some of these sites have fees and some of them don’t, but just knowing which ones are useful or even good is a part time job. Your Agent will save you time and energy by using their resources to simplify the home buying or selling process. Agents also have access to the MLS, which has data that you can not find anywhere else on the web. It is up to the minute, Realtor-to-Realtor information about the property you may be interested in, or the neighborhood you may be selling in. Let your Agent give you current, relevant information instead of the outdated listing you may find while surfing the web.
This is what they do all day – they live and breathe real estate. A seasoned Agent knows how deals are being negotiated in certain markets, they know the feel for whether or not a micro-market is hot, whether it is a sellers’ market or not, etc. And this is just the beginning! Having an Agent help you understand how to not just present your offer, but how to make it a winning offer that suits current conditions is vital. This knowledge of the market applies to 6 or 7 different topics within the contract alone that can make or break your offer. Your Agent already knows what others are currently doing in these markets, so why waste time trying to figure it all out yourself?
Realtors know how to sell homes – it’s their job! They know the latest tools to use and what the buyers want. Today, prospective buyers expect professional photos and videos to accompany your listing. Let your real estate Agent handle staging and marketing your home across various channels. Plus, let them screen candidates before you spend your valuable extra time cleaning your home for a showing. Your Agent won’t waste your time showing off your home to someone who is not even qualified to buy it.
A seasoned Agent has attended and negotiated dozens of home inspections. This brings them to a level of experience and knowledge that can only be learned by navigating a variety of challenges and different homes with different issues. If you are selling, they can prepare you to avoid certain hurdles by making the necessary repairs in advance. If you are buying, they can look for potential issues while you enjoy looking at the size of a room and envisioning where your TV will fit on the wall. An expert eye will be looking for water leaks, a yard that may have potential issues or even just the age of the appliances and major systems. Being able to have multiple sets of eyes and different perspectives can really make or break your buying or selling experience.
Your Realtor will have access to the multitude of current documents that are needed along the way. Just making an offer can be a 28 page document! In addition, there are contingencies to attend to and either negotiate and/or remove. There may be notices that need to be provided or documents to receive. A great Realtor will have systems in place to keep track of each and every aspect of not only the contract, but coordinating all the folks that help you buy the home. Do you really want to worry about whether you ordered your termite inspection and who needs it after it is done? What happens if there are termites, and how do you address it to keep you in compliance? A great Realtor will make it all look simple. Just know that on the back end there is a lot going on that you don’t have to worry about. You have enough to take care of with the loan process, packing, and moving. Focus on your new home and let the experts take care of the rest!
HAZARD INSURANCE
WHAT IS INCLUDED – Be very clear about what is covered and more importantly what is NOT covered. You don’t want to lose something and later find out it wasn’t included in the policy.
BUSINESS NEEDS – Do you have a home office? There are both property and liability business exposures that most standard homeowner policies don’t address, as well as low levels of coverage. The typical policy appears to be around $2,500 for in-home office equipment. And while that may sound like enough, by the time you add the costs of your computer, software, tablet, printer, scanner, phone, furniture, etc., it could very well exceed that amount. You’ll need to find coverage that can include all of your home office equipment and supplies.