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Good credit is an important part of the equation for your success in getting a home loan.  While it's true some government programs such as the increasingly popular FHA loan allow a lower credit score, it's a service benefit to help you understand how to get a credit report and what factors go into your credit score.

The score is different from the report-A credit score is a number that reflects the historical credit information on a credit report.  The number indicates a person's likelihood of becoming delinquent on a loan or credit obligation in the future.  The higher the score, the better the terms of the loan such as a lower interest rate.

Review your credit report before shopping for a mortgage-WWW.annualcreditreport.com where every year you can get a free credit report from each of the three major credit bureas (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax).

Errors on a credit report can be fixed-Be encourages to seek counseling to better understand your credit report, spot problems and work to fix them.  To find HUD-approved housing counselors in your area, call 1-800-569-4287 or www.hud.gov/counseling.

Ordering a credit report will NOT negatively affect your credit score-What does have a major impact on your credit score is payment history.  Whether you pay your bills on time and pay them in full matters.  Another factor is outstanding debt.  If you're maxed out on your credit cards, it can be a problem.  The longer your credit history, the higher your credit rating so it's not good to cole an unused credit card.

A good way to raise a credit score is to reduce debt-Lenders look at total debt load of no more than 36 percent of income including house payment.  It's a good idea to get installment debt (car loans, students loans, credit cards) down below 20 percent of total income.

Only time removes accurate negative information in your credit report-According to the Federal Trade Commission, a consumer reporting company can report most accurate negative information for seven years and bankruptcy information for 10 years.