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An Excellent Guide to "Do You Need Good Credit for Buying a House?"

James Anderson

December 10, 2020

If you buy a house with a mortgage, the lender will look at your credit history and use your score in a particular range to determine whether you can get a loan or not.

If your score falls below a specific point, the lender will deny your application. The credit score that most lenders use is the FICO score, which ranges from 300 to 850.

Do you need good credit for buying a house? The short answer is yes and no. But we will get more into this because that is not a good answer, is it?

A score above 780 is considered good. However, you do not have to have excellent credit to buy a home. In fact, many people with good credit scores still get turned down for a loan.

That's because your credit history and score are only part of the equation. 

Other factors can also influence whether you are approved for a mortgage. Your income and the amount you want to borrow are two crucial factors.

If you do not earn enough or want to borrow too much, you might get denied no matter how good your credit is. 

These are all factors that can affect your approval: 

  • Your debt-to-income ratio
  • The amount of money you have in the bank  
  • Your credit history
  • Your assets
  • Your credit score
  • Your savings

If you are declined for a loan, there might be things you can do to improve your score and get approved. For example, if your debt-to-income ratio is too high, you might consider paying off some of your debt.

If your credit score is in the mid-500s, you might have options at alternative lenders.

If you have a low credit score, it's best to start by making sure there aren't any errors on your credit report. If there aren't any errors, you can focus on paying off debt and building credit.

What is included in our list "Do You Need Good Credit for Buying a House?"

Here is an overview of our list "Do you need Good Credit for buying a house"

  1. Can you buy a property with bad credit?
  2. Can you buy a house without credit?
  3. Are you able to buy a house with no money down? 
  4. Can you buy a house with no money at all?
  5. Are you able to buy a house with a credit card?

As you see we are going to cover many different aspects of our list "Do you need Good Credit for buying a house".

1. Can you buy a property with bad credit?

First on our list "Do you need Good Credit for buying a house" is the all to common bad credit

Man thinking "do you need good credit for buying a house"

If you have bad credit, you might have a hard time getting approved for any type of loan. You most likely need to pay a higher interest rate, which will make it more expensive to buy a house. If you are able to buy a house, you will probably need a cosigner.

A cosigner is someone who agrees to be responsible for your loan if you default. Your cosigner's credit history will be taken into account when lenders decide whether to give you a loan.

If you can buy a house with bad credit, the lender might also give you a shorter loan term.

That way, if you have trouble making your payments, you will not be stuck with a mortgage for 30 years.  

Try to improve your credit score

If you have bad credit, there are a few things you can do to improve your credit score. First, make sure you are paying all of your bills on time.

If you have a credit card, try to pay it off in full every month. You can also try to get a secured credit card.

With a secured card, you deposit money with the credit card company. That money is used as collateral for your credit card. It will help you build a credit history, and you will be able to use the credit card to make purchases.

2. Can you buy a house without credit?

  Second on our list "Do you need Good Credit for buying a house"is what do you do if you have no credit?

man holding credit card in front of computer

You are able to buy a house with no credit score. There are two ways to do this. One option is to buy a house in cash. The other is to buy a house with the seller financing the purchase of the home.

That means is that the seller will give you the money for the down payment and will have you pay him instead of a bank. Alternatively, you can look if you qualify for any of these:

What is a VA loan?

A VA loan is a mortgage loan that is guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is a great way for veterans to buy a home. The VA loan has a low down payment and a great interest rate. It is a great way to buy a home if you qualify for the loan program.

What is a FHA loan?

A Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan is a mortgage loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration. The FHA makes loans to home-buyers who meet the requirements for FHA-insured loans, which are the most lenient of the mortgage loan programs.

FHA loans require a minimum down payment of 3.5 percent as opposed to the 20 percent required by other mortgage loans.

The FHA also requires the borrower to pay mortgage insurance for the life of the loan, which protects the lender from losses in the event that the borrower defaults on the loan. The borrower pays the mortgage insurance premiums.

What is an FHA 203(k) loan?

An FHA 203(k) loan is a mortgage that allows homeowners to finance both the home purchase and a wide range of home improvements and repairs into one mortgage loan.

The 203(k) loan is a great option for homebuyers who are looking to purchase a home that needs repairs.

What is a 203(k) loan used for?

The 203(k) loan is used to finance both the purchase and the repair of a home.

What are the loan limits for a 203(k) loan?

The loan limits for a 203(k) loan are the same as the limits for a conventional mortgage loan.

3. Are you able to buy a house with no money down? 

Third on our list "Do you need Good Credit for buying a house" is can you still buy a house without money down?

Do You Need Good Credit for Buying a House

If you have no money, you might be able to use a cosigner. It's possible to buy a house with no money down. If you want to buy a home with a mortgage, you can pay for your down payment with a gift from family members or a gift from a charitable organization.

It's also possible to buy a house with no money down if you buy the property using a land contract. In a land contract, the seller gives you the deed to the property after an initial payment.

You then make monthly payments until the balance is paid off. The seller retains ownership of the property until the end of the contract. A land contract can be also called a contract for deed.

If you have no money for a down payment, you might be able to find a seller who is willing to use a land contract. The seller will probably require you to pay a higher interest rate, and the monthly payments will likely be higher than those you would have to make with a traditional mortgage. 

4. Can you buy a house with no money at all?

Fourth on our list "Do you need Good Credit for buying a house" is what if you have no money?

Do You Need Good Credit for Buying a House

You can buy a house without money at all if your family or friends help you to pay for your down payment. However, if you don't have any money you should probably not think about buying a home in the first place.

5. Are you able to buy a house with a credit card?

Last on our list is "Do you need Good Credit for buying a house" can you use a credit card to buy a house?

Do You Need Good Credit for Buying a House

You cannot buy a house with a normal credit card. You might be able to use a credit card to make a down payment on a house. For example, if you put $10,000 on a credit card, you might qualify for a loan with a $100,000 balance.

You could use a credit card for a down payment if it has a low-interest rate and you pay off your balance in full every month.

Normally you should never use a credit card to make a down payment. If you do, you'll be charged interest if you are not able to pay off the balance at the end of the month.

Conclusion of our list "Do you need Good Credit for buying a house"

We have hoped you like our article "Do you need Good Credit for buying a house". This article was made for educational purposes only and you should consult a professional if you need to know more.

Is there something else you would like to add to our list "Do you need Good Credit for buying a house"?

A fast answer to the question, "Do you need Good Credit for buying a house" is it is easier if you do. Then you will not have to take a riskier alternative approach.

If you are in the market for buying a house then check out our tips on making an offer on a house!

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