What Credit Score Do You Actually Need?
Credit is the single most misunderstood part of borrowing. People talk themselves out of homeownership over a number they have never actually checked, or a rule that has not been true for years. Here is the truth, by program.
| Program | Typical minimum score |
|---|---|
| FHA (3.5% down) | 580 |
| FHA (10% down) | 500–579 |
| VA | No federal minimum; many lenders look for ~580–620 |
| Conventional | 620 |
| Jumbo | Commonly 700+ |
Read that table twice. A government-backed loan can be within reach with a score in the 500s. The “you need 720 to buy a home” myth costs families years of lost equity for no reason.
What actually moves a score
Scores are built from five ingredients, roughly in this order of weight: payment history (pay on time, every time), amounts owed (especially credit-card utilization), length of history, new credit and credit mix.
The fastest legitimate wins
- Lower your utilization. Paying a card down below 30% — ideally below 10% — of its limit can lift a score quickly, because utilization updates monthly.
- Do not close old cards. Length of history and total available credit both help you; closing a card can quietly hurt both.
- Dispute genuine errors. A surprising share of reports contain mistakes. Correcting one can move a score.
- Ask about rapid rescore. When you are mid-application, a lender can sometimes update corrected balances in days rather than a full cycle.
Do not chase a perfect score before you talk to a lender. Talk to the lender first. We can read your actual report, tell you which one or two moves matter for your file, and often find a program that fits the score you have today.