Credit & Readiness
Every guide, comparison, calculator, and mortgage term we've published on this topic — 13 in total, written for people who have never bought a home.
Read the Credit & Readiness topic hub overview →- Credit Score Needed for a Mortgage: Minimum Score to Buy a House (2026)Guide7 minThe minimum credit score to buy a house on a conventional loan is 620 — but 740+ is where pricing really opens up. Here's what each tier actually costs.
- Get Ready SimulatorTool6 minMove the sliders and watch your readiness change.
- Getting a mortgage after a short saleGuide6 minShort sales carry shorter waiting periods than foreclosure — often 2 years or less. Here's the exact clock.
- Getting a mortgage after bankruptcyGuide7 minChapter 7 and Chapter 13 each have different waiting periods per loan program. Here's the exact clock for 2026.
- Getting a mortgage after foreclosureGuide7 minForeclosure waiting periods run 3–7 years by program. Here's the exact clock and how to rebuild in the meantime.
- How to improve your credit score for a mortgageGuide7 minThe exact moves that raise a mortgage FICO the fastest — ranked by impact and speed.
- Late payments and mortgage approvalGuide6 minNot every late payment kills a mortgage file. Here's what actually matters — recency, severity, and pattern.
- Medical collections and your mortgageGuide6 minThe 2022 credit-bureau changes largely removed medical collections from mortgage decisioning. Here's what's still counted — and what isn't.
- Minimum credit score for a VA loan (2026)Guide6 minThe VA sets no credit-score minimum. Lenders do — usually 580 or 620. Here's what actually matters on a VA file.
- Minimum credit score for an FHA loan (2026)Guide6 minThe published FHA floor is 500. The real-world overlay from most lenders is 620. Here's the truth about both.
- Pre-approval vs pre-qualificationComparison6 minWhich one a seller takes seriously.
- ReadinessIQ vs Credit KarmaComparison6 minCredit monitoring vs mortgage readiness.
- Student loans and mortgage qualificationGuide8 minEvery loan program treats student loans differently — and the difference can move your approval by $100K.