Archive for December, 2010

PostHeaderIcon Can You Still Get A Car Loan With Bad Credit?



Are you one of the many people who have loan problems? No need to worry, for you are not alone. Bad credit is not something to be ashamed of. Anyone can end up having it, just like the common cold. After some time and some effort on your part, you can turn a bad credit rating to a better one.

The good news is, even people with bad credit can be financed on bad credit car loans. Once you get there, you need to remember a few things, though, in order to turn your bad credit to the advantage of your bad credit car loan. Remember not to take on a car payment that you truly know in your heart that you can’t afford. Know what you can and cannot afford before talking to a car salesman.

There are many ways by which you can get a bad credit car loan even when you have a bad credit. You need to have sufficient income that can pay up all your bills including additional payment for your bad credit car loan, insurance, accessories, repairs and maintenance costs. A steady and sufficient income could get you that bad credit car loan even if you have a bad credit. Your lender would like to see that you’ve had your current job for at least a year and this could make them overlook your bad credit hence increase chances in approving your bad credit car loan. Try to maintain your address for a while, as well, for this can keep your bad credit at bay and help in the approval of your bad credit car loan.

Having a large down payment will also help in getting your new bad credit car loan. Your down payment will depend on the car model you wish to buy. It could range from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

If you want to have a better chance at having your bad credit car loan approved, you can be a member of a credit union. Even if you have bad credit, you can apply to them for a bad credit car loan. Their credit criteria is often more relaxed compared to banks and finance companies. The longer you have been a member in a credit union, the more positive the response is for your bad credit car loan despite a bad credit rating.

The same thing works for a local bank. Should you have had a previous loan with them, they could still want to take a chance with you on your bad credit car loan. If by any chance you have paid off a previous loan, they could consider your bad credit car loan application even if you have bad credit history in other banks of finance companies.

You could also get a bad credit car loan by having a co-signer. Your co-signer must have good credit rating himself and meet the necessary requirements.

Bad credit will indeed affect your bad credit car loan application, but you can still explore other possibilities. A large volume new car dealer can give you deals you can bank on. Choose your vehicle and come up with a deal. Afterwards, talk with a finance manager who will work with you to get a bad credit car loan despite your bad credit. The trick is to see an aggressive finance manager who will see you through choosing your vehicle, overlooking your bad credit and getting a bad credit car loan soon.

PostHeaderIcon Owner Builder Loans – Everything You Need to Know About Credit Scores



With all of the recent changes in the mortgage industry, it can be tough to keep up with the different requirements for the different loan programs available. Owner builder construction loans are probably as complex as residential mortgages can get. But, there are some simple rules about your credit scores that can make understanding the owner builder guidelines a little easier.

The first rule of thumb for an owner builder construction loan is that you will want to have a credit score of at least 620. Obviously, the higher your credit score is, the better it will be for your loan. However, if you want to be an owner builder to build your own home, then you will need to have a middle FICO credit score of at least 620.

Technically, for most owner builder loan programs, there is no strict minimum credit score requirement. In most cases, your loan application will be run through an automated approval system, which will analyze your overall risk factor. However, even without a strict minimum, you most likely are not going to get the approval through the computer system without at least a 620 score.

Along those same lines, an owner builder may not get approved for their financing even with a credit score above 620. In addition to analyzing your credit score, the approval system will also examine your current credit health. In other words, if you don’t have any current, healthy accounts that are at least one to two years old, then having a credit score above 620 probably won’t be enough to get your approval.

Likewise, owner builder construction loans are going to provide better rates in terms for borrowers with higher credit scores. Specifically, having a credit score above 700 will help you get the best rates and terms available.

It is important to remember, though, that a strong credit score will not assure an owner builder of getting approved. In other words, an owner builder with a strong credit score is not going to get through underwriting if he has too low of a documented income or too much debt. Furthermore, a strong credit score won’t be enough to get the loan approved if the project has a poor appraisal or an unrealistic budget. Therefore, a good credit score is just one piece of the puzzle for a strong owner builder file.

In fact, here are some of the specific advantages of having a higher credit score when applying for an owner builder construction loan:

1. An owner builder who has a high credit score can often get approved with less than the normal amount of savings in reserves.

2. If you have a credit score above 700, you will have a much smaller down payment requirement for an owner builder construction loan.

3. Also, an owner builder with high credit scores will get better interest rates as compared to someone with just average credit scores.

So, even though a having a credit score won’t get an owner builder approved if there are other glaring issues with the file, it will certainly provide the three advantages listed above.

Therefore, if you are considering being an owner builder, make sure you have a middle FICO score that is at least above 620. If your score is just barely over the 620 mark, then expect to have stricter down payment and interest rate requirements for your owner builder construction loan. So, if you have a limited amount of savings in the bank, you may want to work to get your credit scores above 700 before applying for an owner builder loan.

PostHeaderIcon What Is The Average Credit Score?



Your credit score can say a lot about you. Creditors and lenders use that number to judge how likely you are to pay money that you owe. There are many different aspects that contribute to credit scores, but the exact method of calculating them is unknown to the public.

What we do know, however, is that a credit score can range anywhere from 300 to 850, with 850 being the best. A perfect 850 score is almost never seen, and the average score is much lower.

Once you check you score, compare your results to the rest of the country.

Average National Credit Score



The average credit score across the United States is 680.



The following are the average scores in each of the 50 states:



Alabama: 676

Alaska: 674

Arizona: 659

Arkansas: 668

California: 672

Colorado: 674

Connecticut: 694

Delaware: 684

Florida: 673

Georgia: 668

Hawaii: 688

Idaho: 688

Illinois: 684

Indiana: 676

Iowa: 700

Kansas: 682

Kentucky: 677

Louisiana: 663

Maine: 699

Maryland: 688

Massachusetts: 703

Michigan: 679

Minnesota: 707

Mississippi: 668

Missouri: 683

Montana: 701

Nebraska: 695

Nevada: 655

New Hampshire: 703

New Jersey: 693

New Mexico: 663

New York: 686

North Carolina: 667

North Dakota: 706

Ohio: 685

Oklahoma: 666

Oregon: 686

Pennsylvania: 696

Rhode Island: 692

South Carolina: 665

South Dakota: 710

Tennessee: 679

Texas: 651

Utah: 683

Vermont: 706

Washington: 691

Washington DC: 677

West Virginia: 679

Wisconsin: 699

Wyoming: 690

You may be wondering what is a good credit score. If so, you could benefit from credit repair. Because unfortunately, having a good credit score is key to living a better financial life, having more financial opportunities, and getting lower interest rates.

The powers that be make the rules. All we can do is try to make the most of the system in which we are a part of.