What Credit Score is Needed to Buy a House?

There’s a lot to think about when you’re buying a house. You’ll want to consider what neighborhood you want to live in, what schools or businesses are nearby, what style home you want—and that’s not even touching on finances.

Buying a home is probably the biggest purchase you’ll make in your lifetime, so it’s no wonder that there’s a lot to consider. Going into the house-hunting process informed about what you want, what you have, and what you can expect is the most important thing you can do as a buyer—and that means getting educated about your credit score. If you have questions about what credit score is needed to buy a house, there are a few important facts to recognize.

In This Article

Why does your credit score matter?

In short, credit scores are three-digit numbers from 300 to 850 that tell lenders if you’re a responsible borrower. The higher your number, the less risk you present to a lender.

Creditors send credit bureaus information about whether you pay on time, how much credit you’ve been given by different lenders, and if you have any accounts outstanding. Each credit bureau chooses an algorithm to consolidate all of this information into a three-digit credit score.

If a lender uses the FICO^® Score 8, which is the most common model in use today, 35 percent of your score relates to your payment history and 30 percent comes from the percentage of your credit limit that you use. The remaining 35 percent is a blend of factors like how long you’ve been using credit, what types of credit you’ve had, and how many lenders have made hard inquiries into your credit.

By translating all of this information into a three-digit number, credit bureaus give lenders a quick snapshot of whether you’re likely to repay a loan. They also allow lenders to easily compare your creditworthiness to that of other borrowers.

What credit score is needed to buy a house?

There are no “official” quality levels for credit scores, but scores between 700 and 749 are generally considered to be good. Scores above 750 are considered excellent and can get you some of the best rates. Scores from 650 to 700, on the other hand, are only fair and often cause lenders to charge higher rates.

According to FICO^®, the national average credit score has hit an all-time high of 706 this year. Scores have been on a generally upward trend for a while, so mortgage lenders have higher standards than they may have had 10 years ago.

That said, there’s no single answer as to what credit score is needed to buy a house. It all depends on what kind of mortgage you want.

The government-secured Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan, for instance, is designed to make homeownership affordable. For these loans, you may be able to put as little as 3.5% down. You may still qualify for an FHA if you have a lower credit score, but the downpayment required may be more than 3.5%.

If you’re planning to apply for a conventional mortgage from a bank or lending company, your lender gets to decide what credit score they need you to have, and the expectations are higher. According to a Fannie Mae report, the average credit score for first-time home buyers in 2022 is 746. So when you apply for a mortgage, your credit score will likely be a strong indicator of what kind of offer you receive.

How to improve your credit score

Now that you know what credit score is needed to buy a house, it’s time to review your financial situation and see what tactics you can use to raise your credit score if need be. Your credit score is always changing as you use your credit. If it’s not where you want it to be as a potential home buyer, you can bring it up by paying loans on time and being careful about how much credit you use.

These tips can help you bump up your credit score over time:

Use your credit card less. Credit bureaus calculate your utilization score based on your closing balance each month, so the less you charge, the better your score.
Request higher limits on your credit cards, but don’t use more. That improves your credit utilization ration because there’s more of your credit that you’re not using.
Pay down your credit cards but keep the accounts open. The effect is similar to increasing your limits.

The more ways you learn to bring up your credit score, the better you’ll look to mortgage lenders—assuming you stay disciplined and borrow responsibly. Knowing what credit score is needed to buy a house and making positive changes to improve your score is a good step before making any home offers. It’s a long road, but the prize at the end is a new home to call your own.

FICO and FICO Score 8 are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PROCEDURES FOR OPENING A NEW ACCOUNT.

To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account.

What this means for you: When you open an account, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask to see your driver’s license or other identifying documents.

Eligibility for a home equity loan or HELOC up to $500,000 depends on the information provided in the home equity application. Loans above $250,000 require an in-home appraisal and title insurance. For HELOCs borrowers must take an initial draw of $50,000 at closing. Subsequent HELOC draws are prohibited during the first 90 days following closing. After the first 90 days following closing, subsequent HELOC draws must be $1,000 or more (not applicable in Texas).

The time it takes to get cash is measured from the time the Lending Partner receives all documents requested from the applicant and assumes the applicant’s stated income, property and title information provided in the loan application matches the requested documents and any supporting information. Spring EQ borrowers get their cash on average in 26 days. The time period calculation to get cash is based on the first 6 months of 2022 loan fundings, assumes the funds are wired, excludes weekends, and excludes the government-mandated disclosure waiting period. The amount of time it takes to get cash will vary depending on the applicant’s respective financial circumstances and the Lending Partner’s current volume of applications.

Spring EQ cannot use a borrower’s home equity funds to pay (in part or in full) Spring EQ non-homestead debt at account opening. For HELOCs in Texas, the minimum draw amount is $4,000. To access HELOC funds, borrower must request convenience checks.

Interest rates may be adjusted based on factors related to the applicant’s credit profile, income and debt ratios, the presence of existing liens against and the location of the subject property, the occupancy status of the subject property, as well as the initial draw amount taken at the time of closing. Speak to a Prosper Agent for details.

Qualified applicants may borrow up to 95% of their primary home’s value (not applicable in Texas) and up to 90% of the value of a second home. Home equity loan applicants may borrow up to 85% of the value of an investment property (not applicable for HELOCs).

All home equity products are underwritten and issued by Spring EQ, LLC, an Equal Housing Lender. NMLS #1464945.

Prosper Marketplace NMLS Prosper Marketplace, Inc. NMLS# 111473

Licensing & Disclosures | NMLS Consumer Access

Prosper Funding LLC

221 Main Street, Suite 300 | San Francisco, CA 94105

6860 North Dallas Parkway, Suite 200 | Plano, TX 75024