How Your Credit Score Affects Buying a House

Your credit score and your ability to buy a house go hand in hand, influencing everything from your mortgage approval odds to your interest rate, monthly payments and more. In this article, we’ll explain how your credit score affects buying a house, including how to boost your credit score before buying a house, what to avoid during the mortgage process and what happens after you close on your home.

Why Does Your Credit Score Matter When Buying a House?

Lenders use your credit score to assess how likely you are to make your loan payments on time, which means your credit score affects your mortgage eligibility, borrowing power and home-buying budget. While a strong credit score can increase your chances of getting approved for a loan and help you secure more favorable loan terms, a lower credit score could mean a higher interest rate and larger down payment requirement.

Beyond your mortgage, your credit can also affect some of the hidden costs of homeownership. For conventional loans with private mortgage insurance (PMI) — a requirement if your down payment is less than 20% of the purchase price — your credit score could impact the cost of PMI. And in most states, your credit score also plays a role in your homeowners' insurance premiums. Together, these factors mean your credit score could save you, or cost you, thousands of dollars over the life of your loan.

What Credit Score Do You Need to Buy a House?

While there’s no exact credit requirement to buy a house, most common loan types look for credit scores within a minimum range of 500-700. For example, FHA loans typically require a minimum credit score of around 500-580. And while conventional loans, VA loans and USDA loans don’t have any official minimum credit requirements, many lenders do have their own thresholds, often in the 580-620 range.

Your credit score is one of several factors lenders look at when evaluating your loan application. Though FICO (the score that most mortgage lenders use) defines a good credit score as anything between 670-739, lenders look at your complete financial situation before making a decision. Your income, savings, debt-to-income (DTI) ratio and down payment amount all carry significant weight, which could help you qualify for a loan — even if your credit isn’t perfect.

Getting Your Credit Ready Before You Buy a Home

Before you apply for a mortgage, it’s a good idea to prep your credit so you can increase your chances of getting approved and securing more favorable loan terms.

Smart Credit Moves Before Applying

If you’re thinking about applying for a mortgage, it’s a good idea to check your credit score around 6-12 months in advance. This gives you time to improve your credit and resolve any errors that might exist on your account. To prep your credit score, focus on:

• Paying bills on time: Your payment history is the most important factor for your credit, accounting for 35% of your overall score.
• Keeping credit card balances low: The amount of available credit you use makes up 30% of your score.
• Avoiding new credit accounts: New credit accounts reduce your average account age and trigger a hard inquiry that can temporarily lower your credit score.

What Not to Do Before Buying a House

While you might have a long to-do list before buying a house, here are four things you’ll want to avoid doing.

• Opening new credit cards: Avoid applying for new credit cards or other new credit accounts for at least 12 months before you plan to apply for a mortgage.
• Making large purchases: Big-ticket purchases — like cars, furniture, electronics or appliances — can hurt your mortgage application by increasing your debt-to-income ratio, lowering your credit score and compromising your cash reserves.
• Missing payments: While you always want to make loan payments on time, it’s especially important to stay consistent in the months leading up to a home purchase.
• Switching careers: Lenders want to see a clear history of income and stability, so steer clear of any career changes until after you close on your home.

How Applying For a Mortgage Impacts Your Credit Score

Lenders use credit checks to assess risk and determine your interest rate. But when you apply for a mortgage — or a preapproval — it could affect your credit score.

Hard Credit Inquiry vs. Soft Credit Inquiry

Many buyers get prequalified for a mortgage, which results in a soft credit inquiry. A soft pull provides an estimate of your borrowing power without affecting your score. Mortgage preapproval, on the other hand, involves a more thorough review of your finances and appears on your credit as a hard inquiry. While neither option guarantees you’ll get approved for a loan, a mortgage preapproval is a conditional commitment that shows sellers you’re a serious buyer.

Will Applying for a Mortgage Hurt Your Credit?

Applying for a mortgage or getting preapproved can affect your credit score because a hard inquiry signals that you’re officially shopping for a loan. So while you’ll likely see a modest, short-term dip in your credit score, the impact is usually temporary. And if you avoid applying for other unrelated credit lines — like new credit cards or auto loans — during this period, your score will typically stabilize within a few months. Lenders run these checks because they need the most accurate, up-to-date information to ensure you can manage your monthly payments.

Can You Shop Mortgage Rates Without Hurting Your Credit?

Applying for a mortgage triggers a hard credit inquiry that can cause a temporary dip in your score — but this shouldn’t stop you from comparing lenders to find the best rate. When you’re shopping for a mortgage, you can submit multiple applications during a "rate-shopping window" without any additional impact to your credit. This period typically lasts for 45 days from your first application and treats all related applications as a single inquiry. Before you apply for a mortgage, plan to submit all applications within this 45-day window to avoid unnecessary hits to your credit.

How a Mortgage Affects Your Credit After You Buy

After you buy a home, your credit score may decrease slightly because your new mortgage resulted in a hard credit inquiry. If you consistently make on-time mortgage payments, your credit score will generally increase over time. On the other hand, if you miss even a single monthly payment, it could negatively affect your credit for several years. As your loan ages and the balance decreases, you’ll continue to build your credit by demonstrating an on-time payment history, diversifying your credit mix and maintaining your credit account over the long term.

Conclusion: Preparing Your Credit for a Successful Home Purchase

Planning ahead and preparing your credit for a mortgage can go a long way toward helping provide you with more options and more favorable loan terms. By arming yourself with the knowledge and strategies you need to increase your borrowing power, you can avoid the trap of quick fixes. And by connecting with a lender early in the process, you can see where you stand and explore all your options.

Ready to start planning for your dream home? Calculate your monthly loan payment with our Mortgage Loan Calculator to help determine how much home you can afford.