What credit score do I need?

It depends on the loan type, but here are the real floors: conventional loans typically need 620+, FHA goes down to 580 with 3.5% down (or 500 with 10% down), VA loans have no official minimum but most lenders want 580-620+, and USDA usually wants 640+. That said, your score affects your rate, not just your eligibility. The difference between a 680 and a 760 score on a $400,000 loan can be roughly $150-$250 a month for the life of the loan — so if you're close to a credit cutoff, it's often worth spending 60-90 days improving your score before locking. I'll review your credit report with you, point out the specific items that are dragging your score down, and tell you exactly which moves will give you the biggest jump (paying a card down to under 10% utilization, removing an old collection, disputing an error, etc.). If your score isn't there yet, we'll build a real timeline to get you there.