Buying a Home With Bad Credit - Tips on Finding the Right Broker or Lender

You can buy a home with a bad credit record; you just need to find the right mortgage financing package. Before you sign up with the first company that offers you a loan, remember to research offers to be assured you are getting a fair deal.

Your credit score is one of the biggest factors in determining the points you will pay for your loan. People with scores between 620 and 800 have near perfect credit and will have the lowest rates and fees. Scores between 620 and 550 mean an interest rate or two higher. 600 is usually the cutoff point for 100% financing. Scores less than 550 mean mortgage interest rates are up to 5% higher with up to five points. Lenders will also require a down payment between 5% and 20%

You can find your score online along with your credit report. This is a good time to make sure all the information is correct on your record. Any discrepancies should be checked out and corrected before applying for a loan.

Arm yourself with information so you will know what are reasonable fees for your type of loan. Mortgage brokers are paid for their work through points paid up front or through the lifetime of the loan by the lender. Lenders also make money through points.

It is reasonable to expect to pay up to five points for a mortgage loan, but any higher and you should be wary. There are always exceptions to this, so use your best judgment and compare companies.

Mortgage lenders can vary as much as 5% in their interest rates, so you should compare financing packages. The internet has made comparison shopping easy. You can get bids from multiple lenders and read over their offers from the comfort of your home.

Once you get an offer from a mortgage lender, make sure you read the fine print. Interest rates are easy to compare, but you should also look over the fees that are involved which can add up to thousands of dollars. Also, be sure to understand any fees for late or missed payments.

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