Credit & qualifying
Credit score
In short
A credit score is a number lenders use to gauge credit risk. It shapes options and pricing, but it's one factor among income, assets, and the property.
A credit score summarizes your credit history into a single number that lenders use as one measure of risk. Payment history, amounts owed, length of history, new credit, and credit mix all feed it.
Score influences which programs are available and how a loan is priced, and different programs weigh it differently — but it's never the entire decision. Stable income, reserves, down payment, and the property all matter in underwriting.
Because a score reflects the underlying history, the durable way to improve it is the ordinary one: on-time payments and lower balances over time, not a quick fix.
Related
Current as of August 2026.