Your credit score matters to mortgage lenders, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to buy a house with bad credit. In addition to other loan options, there are other strategies for buying a home if your credit report is less than ideal.
Here are some of the ways you can work toward buying a house with bad credit:
As an alternative to a conventional loan, the U.S. government offers various loan options for qualified borrowers wanting to buy a home. The three most recommended are FHA loans, USDA loans and VA loans.
Private loans are arranged between the borrower and a private individual lender rather than a mortgage company. Private mortgages typically exist between family members, friends or other personal connections. However, it’s not impossible to find a private mortgage lender on your own.
These types of loans can be much more forgiving when it comes to credit report, but might have other requirements per the individual lender.
While not always likely, it is possible to buy a house with cash rather than borrow money at all. Otherwise, another strategy for homebuyers with low credit scores is to supplement a mortgage with a cash payment.
For example, if a lender offers you a mortgage with a higher interest rate or higher down payment because of your credit, you can use cash to lighten the financial burden.
These options won’t work for every buyer, but they’re worth considering if you want to buy a house with a low credit score. Keep these strategies in mind when evaluating your financial situation and shopping for a loan.
I'm John Mahan, Sales Associate with William Raveis Real Estate, Harwich Port Office.
Throughout his childhood, John Mahan spent summers on Cape Cod at his parents’ home in Dennis Port. His intro to the Cape was, as he puts it, when his parents “carried me down the stairs at Sea Street Beach when I was a week old.” With a lifelong connection to Cape Cod, it seemed only natural for John and his wife, Mary, to move to Harwich – where they still reside – with their two young children in 1996.
Prior to moving to Cape Cod, John lived in the Worcester-Auburn area where he worked for Mass Electric for 10 years and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Utility Workers. When John and his family moved to the Cape, he worked at NSTAR for six years.
John began his career in real estate in 2002 when he joined Team Waystack Realty in Harwich Port. He has been a consistent top producing realtor in the Harwich area for the past 20 years. John’s approachable demeanor, combined with an integral understanding of the Cape Cod residential real estate market, have allowed him to build trusting, long-term relationships with his clients – both sellers and buyers.
