Poor Credit Home Loans

by Mack Bartlett

Unless you live in a cave you know that the whole home buying game has changed completely. Gone are the days where anyone with a pulse can borrow almost any amount to buy a home with no real scrutiny of their ability to repay that loan. And thank goodness. I think we’ve all seen that such loose lending practices put us all in a tough situation in America. A return to to conservative lending practices may not be as fun in the short term, but it keeps us all healthier in the long term.

But is the dream of home ownership dead for people whose credit has been damaged? Actually, no. Poor credit home loans still exist, and they always will. But if you have bad credit and you’re determined to buy a home, be prepared to run the gauntlet with the banks before you sign the closing documents and receive the keys.

I believe the home loan qualification process will take on a much more personal feel again. I can see more and more situations where prospective borrowers go to their local bank or credit union and go through a relatively extensive interview process with mutliple loan officers. After all, on paper these bad credit borrowers don’t look good. So if they’re going to get a home loan for poor credit it’s going to be because they can convince a lender that their past is not a reflection of their commitment to being healthy borrowers going forward.

Here are a few things you can do if you really want to qualify for a home loan for people with poor credit:

Show the bank you’re taking obvious and meaningful steps toward improving your credit worthiness as well protecting your ability to make your mortgage payment on time, every time. For example, have you sold off some of your debt? Have you unloaded that expensive SUV and traded it in for a smaller, more economical car? Getting rid of your expensive cars will not only improve your debt to income ratio, it will show the lender that you’re committed to making your mortgage payment a high priority. The same would be true for credit card balances. If you have consumer debt on things like furniture and electronics, sell them off as fast as you can. You want to show the bank that you can make sacrifices in order to have a home.

Be patient. Unfortuntely, going into debt and ruining your credit take very little time compared to what it takes to get out of debt and improve your credit. Are you willing to follow a path of discipline and sacrifice for the next two or three years (or even five years) so you can own the home you’ve dreamt of? I hope you can see a day in your future when poor credit home loans aren’t even a consideration for you.

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