credit scores Archives - Green Escrow Services, Inc

Many Unsure How to Improve Their Credit Score

December 7, 2015 By Geoffrey Disch Leave a Comment

A new survey of those hoping to buy a home in the next year reveals that the majority are not sure how best to improve their credit score Moreover many aren’t sure as to how their credit score affects the home financing process. While three quarters of those questioned understand that their credit score be accurate, less than half understand that their score reflects how much debt they can hold, the risk of not repaying the load or the resources they have to pay back loans.

Analysts agree that consumers must understand their credit score before applying for a loan. For example, many still incorrectly thought that increasing their income or closing old credit card accounts would improve their credit score.

The Value of Excellent Credit

October 12, 2015 By Geoffrey Disch Leave a Comment

According to a new InsuranceQuotes.com study, homeowners with poor credit can expect to pay twice as much for homeowner’s insurance as those who have excellent credit while those with average or median credit will pay 32 percent more. This is true in 38 states and Washington D.C. Only three states prohibit insurers from using a homeowner’s credit score from calculating homeowner’s insurance: Maryland, Massachusetts, and CALIFORNIA.

Experts agree that the ramifications of a poor credit score are higher than they’ve ever been. They urge consumes to maintain a solid credit rating by paying bills on time, keeping credit balances low and correcting any errors on their credit reports as soon as possible,

Know Your Credit Score?

July 6, 2015 By Geoffrey Disch Leave a Comment

Statistics show that potential home buyers who know their credit scores feel significantly better prepared to buy a home. Yet, surprisingly, only half of recent home buyers say they checked their score once they began considering entering the buyers’ market.

Over 40 percent of future home buyers are concerned that their current credit will not allow them to qualify for the best load rate while close to 60 percent say they actively working to improve their score.

Not sure how to improve your score? A full 35 percent of those surveyed aren’t sure either.

Analysts agree that the top actions to improve credit are paying off as much debt as possible, always paying bills on time, keeping balances low on credit cards, protecting current accounts from fraud or identity theft and not applying for or opening new credit card accounts before trying to purchase a home.

Good News for Foreclosure Victims

June 4, 2015 By Geoffrey Disch Leave a Comment

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is reporting that the use of new credit-scoring models could greatly help borrowers who lost their homes during the foreclosure crisis to buy again. Of the 9.3 million homeowners who lost their homes to foreclosure, nearly 1 million have been able to purchase a home again. These “boomerang” buyers are seen as crucial to the housing market by many analysts as they could add 1.5 million buyers to the market over the next five years.

Of course, poor credit profiles and stricter lending practices will continue to bar many from buying but the hope is that the new credit-scoring models could improve some borrowers’ access to credit. Specifically, the new models produce higher credit scores for those with unpaid medical bills as well as factoring in a would-be buyer’s rental payment history.

The question remains as to whether lenders will accept these new credit-scoring models but for now at least, there’s hope for many to “get back in the game.”