Improving Credit to Qualify for a New Mortgage

It isn't unusual for GreatWest GMAC Professionals to come across clients, who would like to purchase a home, but are a tad skinny on qualifying for a new mortgage.

It is interesting to note that in fairly short order, a buyer can improve their finances enough to more readily allow for easier qualification of a home loan.

For instance, if you are someone, who has a few credit card or consumer bills coming in each month, there are steps you can do which will help allow for a swifter loan payoff, or more readily get yourself out of debt.

One of the more notable ways is to ask for a lower credit card interest rate, from your existing credit card lenders. A major consumer group conducted a study to find out how easy it was to get a lower credit card interest rate. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of those who simply telephoned their credit card company and asked for a lower interest rate got one instantly. This rate was anywhere from 7 to 10 points lower than their credit card interest rate.

For success in this area, it is important to: (1) Have a good credit rating. There should be no late payment notations on your credit report and you should have a good credit score; (2) You should not have a high debt-to-income ration and you should not be carrying a big balance on your credit card; (3) You should also be trying to send in more than the minimum payment each month; (4) You should have an excellent payment record with that particular creditor; (5) The credit card ins not one that is categorized as a "sub-prime", meaning it is not a secured credit card or one marketed exclusively to those with bad credit.

When you call and ask for a lower interest rate, your reasoning should be based on the argument that you deserve it because you're an excellent customer or you're getting better offers from other credit card banks.

In addition to the suggestions mentioned above, another way to get out of debt faster, or to improve your standing, is to look at other consumer loans you have. For instance, perhaps you have a car loan, or are paying off some furniture. If the car or furniture loan is near the payoff date, and it is a hefty amount you are paying each month, perhaps you could go ahead and pay it off early. This removal of a high bill each month, could significantly improve your standing on a credit report.