Step 1: Know your credit history

Credit scores are crucial to getting a mortgage, but many homebuyers struggle to grasp the complexities of credit.

The FICO® score is a common tool used by lenders to evaluate applicants' creditworthiness; it can vary from 300 to 850. Most lenders will give you more favorable treatment if your credit score is higher. Actually, each borrower has three FICO scores: one each from Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Credit bureaus use data they collect to generate scores.

The report comprises your credit history and a summary of open and canceled accounts, and is used to calculate your credit score once each year. Because there is a disparity between how points are allocated when evaluating a person's general creditworthiness and the mortgage-specific characteristics a lender will consider, this score may be greater than the one a mortgage lender will pull. Once a year, consumers can obtain their report for free and should check it for accuracy. Some examples of abnormal behavior to look out for are:

• Create secret bank accounts and withdraw money from them. If your identity has been stolen, this can happen to you.
• Lack of awareness of accounts displaying overdue payments. This could happen if your automatic payment failed to go through while you were away, or if you just neglected to pay before leaving.
• Unknown accounts that have been forwarded to collections. Something like a parking ticket that falls off your car before you can read it is an example of something that could fall under this category. Whatever the case may be, the ticket issuer would still send the bill to collections.
• Hidden tax liens that could have serious consequences. This may occur if you or your tax preparer made a calculation error and you ended up owing taxes that weren't paid.
• An essential first step in securing the best possible mortgage interest rate is keeping a close eye on one's credit score and report.

Step 2. Boost your credit rating

Credit scores can be improved if you become acquainted with the information contained in your credit report.

Reduce outstanding debts. It's possible that paying off accounts in full won't raise your credit score, but getting your balances down to 30% or less of your available credit could have a much more significant effect.

Make on-time payments and check that they went through successfully.

Look over your credit report and challenge any mistakes you find.

If you want to gain pre-approval from a mortgage lender, improving your credit score is a must.

Step 3. Don't make any drastic modifications to your budget

There are several actions you should refrain from taking that can lower your credit score and make it more difficult to get a loan pre-approval while you are attempting to raise it.

You shouldn't close an account just to get it off your credit report. It's useless.

Don't buy a car or make any other major purchases that require financing right before you close on your property. Your ability to qualify for a house loan will decrease as a result of this transaction due to the increased debt-to-income ratio.

If you aren't happy with your credit score, don't apply for a pre-approval until then. Every time you apply for credit or get an update on your pre-approval, the lender will pull your credit report. If they do this too often, it can lower your score.

Step 4. you will find out what your budget can afford

Knowing how much house you can afford is the next step once you've reviewed your credit report and are happy with your credit score.

Your income, debts, and down payment are the major elements in determining your affordability.