Gunning For A Mortgage? Increase Your Credit Rating!
Getting a mortgage is a big deal but not just anyone can have one. There is a stringent checking and vetting process and they need to know you have handled your money well in the past. The check on your credit is a part of the process as they need to see that you have the credit available and that you can properly manage it. As such, it is wise to focus on increasing your credit before going for a meeting regarding your mortgage. It is fairly easy to increase as long as you are committed to doing so.
Know What It Is
You need to be able to know what your credit rating is before you get started. There are many different services out there such as Experian, but these usually cost a monthly fee to ensure you benefit. There are also free ways to check your credit so you don’t always have to pay. You need to have access to your credit rating so that you can see if your actions are improving it or not. Without this information you could end up doing something that does not really help too much.
Register As A Voter
Most people have this but if you don’t then get it as soon as possible. You need to be able to have a registered address on file for people to reach you at. If you have this then your rating will shoot up a few points. If you have moved, change it at the earliest opportunity. All this does is show lenders you have a place to be reached and that you have a good history of being reached.
Get Something On Finance
It may seem like a strange thing to do before a mortgage, and it is because it will need to be payed off. You need to be able to do this far in advance. The reason is many people have never had anything on finance. This means it does not look like they can be trusted because they have no credit history and it doesn’t seem like they can manage credit. Get something small, or something you need. Something you know you can pay back in a certain time frame before a mortgage application. Then pay it off as soon as you can. It will go on your file as a completed payment, showing you have what it takes to pay certain things off.
Get A Credit Card
This is in a similar vein to getting something on finance but easier to manage. Make purchases on your credit card and then simply pay it off straight away. This is almost like completing mini-finance agreements showing you are good to lend money too. If you get this done a few times your finance will shoot up and give you a better prospect of getting a great loan deal. If you are getting a mortgage with a partner then they need to do this too. If you both have good ratings there’s a better chance of a good mortgage.