20% of Homebuyers Might Not Get Past Step 1 Because of This Fixable Problem
If you’ve ever searched for a home to buy, you know the first step is mortgage pre-approval — and in today’s competitive market, you likely need to have it before you even put in an offer.
But if you’re like one-fifth of Americans, an error on your credit report could mean banks could be scared of lending to you and won’t give you a pre-approval. And even if they do, it could be for an absurd loan rate that can cost you tens of thousands of dollars or more by the time you pay off the house — yikes.
So if you didn’t see that roadblock coming, your dream house could be someone else’s before you have a chance to fix it.
That’s why you need to make sure your credit report card is free of errors and your score is in tip-top shape before you even start Zillow-ing. A free website called Credit Sesame makes it super easy to check for issues and can help you raise your score. And when you do improve, you can earn cash rewards every 30 days!1
By signing up for a free account with Credit Sesame, you’ll have quick access to your score and personalized tips on how to improve it. You’ll also get free credit monitoring and ID protection, meaning no surprises when you start the homebuying process.
It takes about 90 seconds to join the free service. And you don’t need to put in your credit card — meaning no sneaky subscriptions.
Being prepared before you put an offer on the corner lot starts with a clean credit report and a high credit score. Just enter your email address here to sign up for your free account with Credit Sesame. It could be the first step toward your dream home.
Kari Faber is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
1 This is a limited time offer. To be eligible for cash rewards, a deposit of $25.00, every 30 days, must be made into your Sesame Cash account. Rewards earnings are available for credit score improvements of ten points or more within a 30-day reward cycle. Improvements are calculated from your baseline credit score, as determined by Credit Sesame. Please review the full program terms for more details.
