Getting Ready for Home Ownership 

Here are a few ideas for getting your financial house in order if you are thinking about buying a home in the near future - six months, three months, and within a month of your purchase.

Six months prior to purchase:

Obtain a copy of your credit report from each of the three credit report bureaus.  Review the reports, to make sure the information on them is correct and contact the bureaus to remove any errors you find.  They should also tell you your credit or FICO score that will give you an indication of your financing options. 

Three months prior to purchase:

Refrain from making any big purchases that can add to your debt load.  Even better, pay down some credit card debt but don’t close those cards because that could actually lower your credit score. 

Within a month of your purchase:

Start collecting your documents and put them in a folder—recent pay stubs, last years’ W-2s, most current bank & retirement account statements, and be sure to include all pages of these statements.

This information was supplied by Gail and Toby, Gold Services Managers from Weichert Financial in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

For more information or to schedule a FREE consultation, call or E-mail Gail or Toby and they will be happy to further discuss preparing for home ownership including running a free credit report for you.