re: Building Credit Score

My wife did the student loan rehab program and her's show "pays as agreed" with no negative marks. Make sure you don't have any lates from now until you apply for a mortgage. If you want to get your credit score before applying, go to MyFico.com and buy your FICO score. Any other scores you get are considered "FAKO's" and aren't used by any lenders. When it's time to apply, have all credit cards reporting zero balance. Leave a small (between 1% and 9%) balance on ONE card. This will maximize your FICO score. Don't apply for or open any unneeded credit before then. If you do, you need to do it soon. If you do it close to the time you apply for the mortgage, it will lower you Average Age of Accounts, which is another major factor in the FICO scoring model. Oh, and don't assume you have to wait 5 years. You may be in a better position than you think. Good luck.