The credit score playbook

What lenders actually see

Mortgage lenders generally pull scores from the credit bureaus and work from the result — historically the middle of your three scores. Program cutoffs cluster around numbers like 580 (some FHA options), 620 (many conventional loans), and 640 (most Minnesota assistance programs). You don't need an 800. You need to clear a bar — and know which bar you're aiming at.

The impact ranking

1. Payment history — the heavyweight (~35%)

Nothing matters more than a streak of on-time payments, and nothing hurts more than a fresh late one. Autopay the minimum on everything, even if you pay more manually. One 30-day late payment can undo months of other progress — protect the streak like it's a Duolingo streak with a mortgage attached.

2. Utilization — the fast lever (~30%)

Utilization is your card balances divided by your limits, and it has no memory — it's recalculated from your latest statement. That makes it the fastest legitimate way to move a score:

• Aim under 30% per card and overall; under 10% is where scores get happy.
• Pay balances before the statement date, not just the due date — the statement balance is usually what gets reported.
• Asking for a credit limit increase (without spending more) lowers utilization too — but skip this within a couple months of applying for the mortgage.

3. Don't open or close anything (~15%)

New accounts add hard inquiries and drop your average account age. Closing old cards shrinks your available credit and eventually your history. During the run-up to a mortgage: no new cards, no financing the couch, no closing the ancient card you got at 18. Boring wins.

4. Dispute the errors

You can check your reports from all three bureaus for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. Wrong late payments, accounts that aren't yours, and paid-off collections still showing a balance are all disputable — and fixing a genuine error is free score you were owed anyway.

5. Thin file? Build one

If your problem is no credit rather than bad credit: a secured card used lightly and paid on time, or being added as an authorized user on a family member's old, clean card, starts the clock. Some services can add rent and utility history to your file — worth exploring if renting is your longest financial track record.

The traps

• Paying a "credit repair" company for things you can do free.
• Closing cards after paying them off — you just deleted your progress.
• Financing anything mid-mortgage-process. Underwriting re-checks credit before closing. The new-truck-before-closing story is a legend in this industry because it keeps happening.
• Paying old collections without a plan. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it resets clocks. This is exactly the "ask a professional first" zone — a loan officer or a HUD-approved counselor can look at your actual report.
• Score-checking apps as gospel. The score in your banking app is usually a different model than mortgage scoring. Directionally useful; not the number.

A realistic 90-day sequence

1. Days 1–7: pull all three reports, autopay minimums everywhere, list balances and limits.
2. Days 7–30: dispute clear errors; pay highest-utilization cards down first; stop new applications.
3. Days 30–60: keep utilization low through a statement cycle so it reports; keep the streak.
4. Days 60–90: talk to a loan officer with your fresh picture — you may already clear the bar for the program you want.