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The Front Porch Blog

Education on all things homeownership

Your FICO Score - A Key Piece of the Puzzle

February 27, 2017 Homebuying

Did you know that FICO Credit Scores are used in making over ten billion credit decisions each year? If you’re thinking of buying or refinancing a home, you probably know that other elements also affect your ability to get approved for a loan, including income and employment history. However, most financial institutions use the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) Score to decide whether or not to offer credit or make loans to consumers. FICO’s methods for determining credit scores is a closely guarded secret—but they’ve disclosed five main factors that impact a credit score:

  • Payment history: 35%
  • Amount of debt: 30%
  • Length of credit history: 15%
  • Credit mix: 10%
  • New credit: 10%

Sounds pretty straight-forward, right? It’s a little more complicated than that. The good news is that your FICO credit score is basically just a snapshot in time and there are ways to make it better—through analysis, planning, and guidance.

Lennar Mortgage is based on the principle of lowering the barriers to homeownership for Americans—and part of that is boosting your credit score. We’re here to help.  

Are you in need of some zero-cost credit help? Our Home Buyer Solutions Group may be able to help.