How's Your FICO?

Raise your FICO score  to buy a property in La Canada Flintridge with Fred Shaheen Real Estate Services as your real estate professional - (818) 790-9161

Most people assume that the home buying process starts with getting pre-approved by a lender or with choosing a real estate agent. In reality, the home buying process starts and ends with your finances. Putting back your money for a down payment is great, but if you lack a strong credit score to back it up, you could end up renting for another couple of years in Southern California until your score improves.

A FICO score is a review of your years of credit history based on a model developed by Fair Isaac and Company. Most people traditionally have a score of 600, but scores range from 300 to 850. Job loss has been common in the last few years, but FICO scores aren't necessarily adjusted "on a curve." A low score is just that and often means you can't get credit. Some of the pieces in calculating your FICO score include:

  • Payment History — How many months do you make late payments?

When you apply for a mortgage or any other loan, lenders want to make sure that extending a loan to you isn't a risk. Your FICO score gives lenders an insight into what type of borrower you'd be solely because of your credit history. Because of the shift in the economy, most home buyers should have scores in the range of 700 or higher to get a satisfactory interest rate. You can get approved for a mortgage with a lower score, but the interest accrued in the long run could be more than double the amount of someone having a near perfect credit score.


You want a better score, but how do you get it? Improving your FICO score takes time. It can be difficult to make a significant stride change in your FICO score with quick fixes, but your score can improve in a year or two by monitoring your credit report and by using your credit wisely. The most important thing is to know your FICO score. Here are some methods to improve your credit score:

Raise your FICO score  to buy a property in La Canada Flintridge with Fred Shaheen Real Estate Services as your agent - (818) 790-9161
  • Don't let your cards get dusty. Whether you have older cards, or are just getting started with credit, be sure to use your cards to make sure your accounts maintain an active status. But, pay them off in one or two payments.
  • Keep up with payments. Payment history is a huge factor in your FICO score. It's one of the reasons people who have recently been unemployed see the biggest dip in their credit score. Yes, it takes longer to build up your credit this way, but it's the surest way to show that you're able to make payments to a bank.
  • Ensure that your credit history is correct. If you discover mistakes on your credit report, contact the bureau requesting that the item be removed. If you have a common name or the same name as a family member, you'll want to give extra care to make sure the activity reported is correct.
  • Apply for service station cards or chain store credit. For those who have non-existent credit or less-than-stellar credit, retail credit cards and gas credit cards are ways to begin your credit history, increase your spending limits and stay on top of your payments, which will raise your credit. You should always avoid maintaining a large balance for too long because these types of cards normally have a surprisingly high interest rate.

Knowing the ways you can raise your credit score, you're one step closer to becoming a homeowner. Keep in mind that when it's time to apply for a loan to purchase a house, you'll want to keep your credit inquiries within a two-week window to avoid damaging your credit score. With the help of Fred Shaheen Real Estate Services, the loan process is sure to go more smoothly so you, too, can become a homeowner.

Learn more about FICO scores at, Fair Isaac's informational site and once per year, for free, you can review all three of your credit reports at And, for a small payment, you can get your FICO score from each bureau on their websites:, and

I work with all tiers of credit history and can help you step into home ownership with the best lender for you. E-mail me at or call (818) 790-9161 for more information.