home loans David Hebert on 20 Dec 2008
Can You Get a Mortgage Loan with Bad Credit?
How good is your credit? If you know your credit score and won’t admit what the number is because it is so low, you may be worried that you won’t be able to get a mortgage. If your credit score is low, getting a mortgage won’t be easy, but it is still possible.
There are several factors that determine whether or not you are eligible for a mortgage, and credit score is one of the big ones. If you know right now that your credit is bad, you need to start to take the steps to fix it. To improve your credit, look at how many credit cards you have, how many late payments you have made, how much debt you have and how often you have had checks on your credit to see what you can fix now. If you have good credit, you are going to get a better mortgage rate, but if your credit is poor you might still be able to get a mortgage.
If your credit is beyond repair, you should probably look for other housing options, because a mortgage is probably not in your cards. With the economy like it is, most banks are being extra cautious with who they give money too. Those with bad credit might want to ask someone to cosign the mortgage for them to improve their chances of approval. You may not be able to find someone to do this, because they are going to have to put their good credit on the line in order for you to get a mortgage.
If your credit is poor, and you have been trying to improve it and your credit score has been showing signs of improvement because you have been paying your bills on time for the last six months, you have a chance at getting a better mortgage. If this is you, you are going to want to go and shop around at different mortgage companies to see which one is going to offer you the best rate. You might be paying more than most people would pay, but if you keep improving your credit score, you can always remortgage your house in a couple of years to get an even better rate.
Those whose credit is bad are going to find that they have higher interest loans and are subject to buying a mortgage insurance if their down payments aren’t large enough. This insurance can be quite pricey, so you are going to want to make sure that you budget it in so that there aren’t any financial surprises. Don’t take any chances financially, because if your home gets repossessed by the bank, you are never going to get a mortgage again.
If you have filed for bankruptcy, do you think that you will be able to get a mortgage now? Don’t get your hopes up, because the only thing that you can do is to shop around. If the bank offers you a mortgage with an interest rate that is significantly higher than what it should be, you should probably decline.
The moral of the story is you should make sure your credit stays good and that will save you a lot of headaches of getting a mortgage with bad credit.