Your Credit Report Introduction
Your Credit Rating/Score is the most important factor in receiving the best interest rate on your mortgage.
A credit report includes information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you've been sued, arrested, or filed for bankruptcy. Nationwide consumer reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, or renting a home. Are you thinking of buying a home but unsure of your eligibility for a mortgage loan? Your first step is to obtain a credit report to ensure your credit activities are up to date and correct. The information in your credit report affects whether you can get a mortgage loan and what interest rate that you will qualify to receive.
When you ask, "What are the interest rates today?" the correct answer is "What you are qualified to receive." The interest rates that you qualify for are primarily based on your credit report, your income and your debt. There is not much you can do about your income and debt in the short term but you can review and correct any mistakes in your credit report. Yes, they do exist in almost all credit reports.
How to get your Free Credit Report
Did you know that you can receive your credit report for free? A recent amendment to the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each credit reporting agency – Experian, Equifax and TransUnion – to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every year. There is generally a cost to you to get your actual credit score for each agency.
The FTC advises consumers who order their free annual credit reports online to be sure to correctly spell annualcreditreport.com, or link to it from the FTC's website to avoid being misdirected to other websites that offer supposedly free reports, but only with the purchase of other products. While consumers may be offered additional products or services while on the authorized website, they are not required to make a purchase to receive their free annual credit reports.
A Warning About "Imposter" Sites
The three credit reporting agencies have set up one central website, toll-free telephone number, and mailing address through which you can order your free annual report. This free Credit Report does not include your credit score. Your Credit Score is available for a fee.
Web: www.annualcreditreport.com or
Telephone: 877-322-8228
Mail the Annual Credit Report Request Form to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
When you order, you need to provide your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. To verify your identity, you may need to provide some information that only you would know, like the amount of your monthly mortgage payment.
Please, don't make any changes to your charge accounts until you have read the Credit Handbook. The changes that may seem logical to make might actually reduce your credit score. You can find the Credit Handbook and sample Credit Bureau Letters at: www.cbrusven.com/RequestIndustryInfo and select the appropriate documents.
When you’re ready to start your home search, I’d be happy to help you through this process. I’ll do everything I can to take the stress out of your home buying experience. That way you can focus on getting your dream home.