Learn
Straight answers about mortgage credit from the team that has prepared mortgage credit reports since 1990.
Scores and tiers
Why the score on your phone is not the score your lender seesWhy an app score and a mortgage score can differ.What your credit score is worth on a mortgage in 2026Where pricing, insurance and programs change with your score.Why 680 can be worth more than the next tier upWhen one tier carries more than its share.FHA or conventional?How the two loans compare, and when each is worth asking about.Buying with a co-borrowerWhy the lower score usually prices the loan.What is an LLPA, and how does my credit score change it?An LLPA is the price adjustment Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac set by credit score and down payment.Credit Karma score vs. the score your lender pulledDifferent models, different bureaus, different days.Which score models lenders accept nowBy loan program, including FHA from 1 January 2027.
Your credit report and rescoring
What is a tradeline?The accounts your mortgage score is built from.What a rescore is, what it is not, and who can ask for oneHow a lender-requested update works, what it can do and who pays.Paying an old collection before you apply can lower your scoreWhy the scoring model and your loan matter first.Credit help and your home purchaseWhat repair, counseling and debt programs can mean for a mortgage.Why do other lenders call after I apply for a mortgage?Trigger leads, hard vs soft inquiries, what the 2026 law changed and how to shop in peace.Who's behind your mortgage?See how lenders, mortgage brokers, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, servicers and credit reporting agencies fit together, and who sees your mortgage credit report.Can my lender use a report I bought?Why the lender orders its own, and what yours is still for.What a credit check through BestQualify gets youWhat you pay for, what you receive, and how to read it.Start with one bureau, add the others laterWhat a one-bureau start shows, and how the file grows.Soft prequalification checks, explainedA first look that leaves your scores alone, and what follows it.Dispute a credit report error yourselfWhat to send, to whom, and how long the bureau has.Rapid rescore vs. credit repairWho starts each, who pays, and what each can change.
Your situation
Closing in the next 60 days?Three questions to ask your loan officer this week.Still rentingUse the months before buying well.Down payment help in your stateState programs and the score rules they use.What to look for in a loan officerQuestions that show who checks your credit before you apply.Checking your credit and shopping lendersWhat counts against your score, for how long, and what does not.Good credit? What to do before you applyConfirm it, read all three reports, and keep the file steady.