Credit Dos and Don’ts While Buying a House
The credit dos and don'ts between mortgage application and closing. Protect your loan during the quiet period: keep balances low, pay on time, don't open new credit.
Credit Freezes, Fraud Alerts, and Your Mortgage Application
A security freeze blocks your mortgage credit pull at that bureau, so you must thaw all three before a tri-merge. Fraud alerts don't block a pull. How and when to lift.
Buying a House After Divorce: Untangling Joint Credit
Buying a house after divorce means untangling joint credit first. How a decree, DTI exclusions, alimony, and refinancing affect your mortgage. General, confirm current.
How Student Loans Affect Qualifying for a Mortgage
Student loans affect your mortgage mainly through DTI, and each loan program counts a deferred or $0 payment differently. Here is the current rule for Conventional, FHA, VA and USDA, verified against the agency guides.
Business Credit vs. Personal Credit for a Self-Employed Mortgage
A self-employed mortgage is underwritten on your personal credit, not your business score. Here is how business debt affects DTI and how to exclude it.
Should You Pay Off Your Car Before Buying a House?
Paying off a car before a mortgage can raise your buying power or waste your down payment. See how DTI, credit score, and cash reserves really interact.
How Co-Signing a Loan Affects Buying a House
Co-signing a loan can count against your debt-to-income ratio and dent your credit before you buy a home. Here's how it works and how to clear it, per Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA and the CFPB.
How Your Spouse’s Credit Score Affects Your Mortgage
Your spouse's credit score can raise your mortgage rate but rarely blocks the loan. See how lenders pick the qualifying score for a couple and whether to apply solo or together.
How to Build Credit for a Mortgage With a Thin File or No Score
No credit score or a thin file? Learn how mortgage underwriting handles no-score borrowers with nontraditional credit, plus the fastest legitimate ways to build a mortgage-ready file.
What is APOR? The federal rate that decides if your mortgage is an HPML
APOR is the weekly federal benchmark rate your loan is measured against. The gap between your APR and APOR silently decides whether your mortgage triggers escrow rules, a stricter appraisal, or loses FHA safe harbor. Here's how to look up the real number for the day you locked.