March is Credit Education month. Home Creations, in partnership with our preferred lenders, would like to educate homebuyers about credit and how it can affect the process to homeownership.

It is important to know your credit score before purchasing a house. Your credit history and credit score can affect interest rates, private mortgage insurance cost and even the type of loan you can qualify for.

If you are working on building up your credit score to potentially buy a home, start by working with an experienced lender or a credit repair agency as soon as possible. Want some helpful tips?

Make payments on time, keep credit card balances low, and monitor the ratio of balance to your credit limit on credit cards.

It is also important to work with a lender to go over your credit report. If your credit score is not where you want it to be, a lender can teach you how improvements can be made to make your dream of homeownership a reality.

Another helpful hint: get pre-approved with a mortgage lender before purchasing a home because the lender is able to view mortgage-weighted scores. This allows the lender to help you maximize scores before you make that leap to homeownership.

Reminders to keep your credit in good shape: avoid making any late payments, do not apply for too much credit, avoid tax liens and opening new accounts during the home buying process.

Have any questions about your credit and whether you can qualify to purchase a Home Creations home? Contact Holly to be put in touch with our preferred lenders.