# What Credit Score Do You Need to Buy a House? (2026) By Opendoor Editorial Team | 2026-04-29 The short answer: **620** for most conventional loans, **580** for FHA loans with a 3.5% down payment, and **500** for FHA loans with at least 10% down. VA and USDA loans have no official minimum — but lenders set their own floors. Your credit score doesn't just determine whether you qualify. It directly affects your interest rate, which can mean tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. Here's everything you need to know. ## Minimum Credit Score by Loan Type | Loan Type | Minimum Score | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | Conventional | 620 | Most lenders; 740+ for best rates | | FHA | 580 (3.5% down) / 500 (10% down) | Mortgage insurance required | | VA | No official minimum | Lenders typically set 580–620 floor | | USDA | No official minimum | Lenders typically set 640 floor | | Jumbo | 680–720 | Varies significantly by lender | | Fannie Mae HomeReady | 620 | Low-income buyers, 3% down | | Freddie Mac Home Possible | 660 | Low-income buyers | **Important:** These are program minimums, not lender minimums. Most lenders add an additional buffer — many conventional lenders won't approve below 640 in practice, and some FHA lenders require 620 even though 580 is technically allowed. ## How Your Credit Score Affects Your Interest Rate Qualifying is just the first hurdle. Your credit score significantly affects the rate you're offered — and the difference adds up to a lot of money. Here's a rough illustration on a $350,000 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (rates vary by market conditions): | Credit Score Range | Approximate Rate Differential | Monthly Payment Difference | Total Extra Cost Over 30 Years | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 760–850 | Best available rate (baseline) | — | — | | 700–759 | +0.2% to +0.4% above baseline | +$45–$85/month | +$16,000–$31,000 | | 680–699 | +0.4% to +0.7% above baseline | +$85–$140/month | +$31,000–$50,000 | | 660–679 | +0.7% to +1.0% above baseline | +$140–$200/month | +$50,000–$72,000 | | 640–659 | +1.0% to +1.5% above baseline | +$200–$295/month | +$72,000–$106,000 | | 620–639 | +1.5% to +2.5% above baseline | +$295–$480/month | +$106,000–$173,000 | **The takeaway:** Improving your score from 620 to 760 before buying could save you $100,000+ over 30 years. Even a 3–6 month delay to improve your score can pay off substantially. ## What Is a "Good" Credit Score to Buy a House? **Good:** 670–739. You'll qualify for most loan programs. **Very good:** 740–799. You'll get competitive rates and may avoid extra lender fees (called loan-level price adjustments, or LLPAs). **Excellent:** 800+. Best available rates, lowest fees. For most buyers, **740 is the meaningful threshold** — where rates flatten out and you stop paying significantly more than the best-qualified borrowers. ## Which Credit Score Do Lenders Use? Lenders pull all three of your credit scores from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, then use the **middle score** (not the highest, not the lowest) for the application. **If you're applying with a co-borrower (e.g., a spouse):** Lenders use the lower of the two middle scores. This matters. If one borrower has a 760 and the other has a 620, the lender prices the loan based on 620. In some cases, it may be worth applying as a single borrower — though that reduces the total income lenders can count. ## 5 Credit Factors That Affect Your Score Your FICO score is calculated from five factors: - **Payment history (35%)** — The most important factor. Even one missed payment can drop your score 50–100 points. - **Credit utilization (30%)** — The percentage of available revolving credit you're using. Keep it under 30%, ideally under 10%. - **Length of credit history (15%)** — Older accounts help. Don't close old cards you're not using. - **Credit mix (10%)** — Having both installment loans (car, student) and revolving credit (credit cards) helps. - **New credit inquiries (10%)** — Multiple hard inquiries for the same loan type within 14–45 days count as one inquiry. ## How to Improve Your Credit Score Before Buying ### Timeline | Action | Typical Impact | Time to Show | | --- | --- | --- | | Pay down credit card balances to under 30% | +20–50 points | 1–2 billing cycles | | Pay down to under 10% utilization | +40–80 points | 1–2 billing cycles | | Dispute and remove errors | +15–30 points | 30–90 days | | Become an authorized user on a good account | +15–40 points | 1 billing cycle | | Avoid new credit applications | Prevents drops | Ongoing | | Keep all payments on time | Prevents major drops | Ongoing | | Bring delinquent accounts current | +30–75 points | 3–6 months | ### What to Avoid - **Don't open new credit accounts** in the 6–12 months before applying for a mortgage — new inquiries temporarily drop your score, and new accounts shorten your average credit age. - **Don't close old accounts** — this reduces available credit and can increase utilization. - **Don't max out cards** even if you pay them off monthly — the balance reported to credit bureaus is your statement balance, not your final balance. - **Don't miss any payments** — one 30-day late payment can drop a 780 score by 90–110 points. ### Soft vs. Hard Inquiries When shopping for mortgage rates, you'll have multiple lenders pull your credit. The credit bureaus treat all mortgage inquiries within a 14–45 day window as a single inquiry for scoring purposes — so rate shopping doesn't compound the damage. ## Getting Pre-Approved with Your Current Score Before improving your score, get pre-approved with a few lenders to understand what you actually qualify for today. Knowing your exact score and the rate you're being quoted gives you a concrete baseline — you can then decide whether the improvement timeline is worth it. ### Mortgage Options and Your Credit Score The right loan type depends as much on your credit score as your down payment. FHA loans are accessible at lower scores, VA loans offer better terms than conventional at any score if you qualify, and conventional loans reward higher scores with fewer fees and no mandatory mortgage insurance above 20% down. For a full comparison of loan types — including how your credit score affects eligibility for each — read our guide: [Types of Mortgage Loans](/articles/types-of-mortgage-loans). ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Can a 700 credit score buy a house? Yes. A 700 score qualifies for conventional, FHA, VA, and USDA loans. You won't get the very best rates — those start around 740 — but you'll qualify for most programs and get a competitive rate. ### What's the minimum credit score to buy a house? The absolute minimum is 500, for an FHA loan with at least 10% down. With 3.5% down, FHA requires 580. Most conventional loans start at 620. In practice, most lenders won't approve below 580 for any loan type. ### How long does it take to improve your credit score? Paying down credit card balances can improve your score in 1–2 billing cycles (30–60 days). Removing errors takes 30–90 days. Recovering from missed payments or collections takes 6–24 months depending on severity. ### Does checking my credit score hurt it? No — checking your own score is a soft inquiry and has no impact. Lenders pulling your credit for a mortgage application is a hard inquiry, which may lower your score by 5–10 points temporarily. Multiple mortgage hard pulls within 14–45 days count as one inquiry. ### Can I buy a house with a 550 credit score? With a 550 score, your options are limited. FHA loans technically allow 500–579 with a 10% down payment, but many FHA lenders won't go below 580. You may need to spend 6–12 months improving your score first. ### Does my income affect my credit score? No. Income is not a factor in credit scoring. It does affect how much mortgage you qualify for, but your score is based entirely on your credit history, utilization, and payment behavior. ### Should I pay off all debt before buying a house? Not necessarily. The key metrics are your credit utilization ratio (keeping revolving balances low) and your debt-to-income ratio (DTI). Paying off a car loan or student loan won't boost your credit score much, but reducing credit card balances below 30% will. ## The Bottom Line Most buyers need a minimum credit score of 620 for conventional loans or 580 for FHA loans. But qualifying is just the floor — the real opportunity is in what a higher score saves you in interest. Improving from 650 to 750 before applying can easily save $50,000–$80,000 over 30 years. Pull your credit report, check for errors, pay down revolving balances, and shop at least three lenders. The higher your score at application time, the less the house ultimately costs you. Once your credit is in shape, our [complete step-by-step guide to buying a house](/articles/how-to-buy-a-house) walks you through every stage of the process — from pre-approval to closing day. At Opendoor, we believe every buyer should have the information they need to approach homeownership with confidence — wherever you are in your credit journey. --- *Originally published at [https://www.opendoor.com/articles/credit-score-to-buy-a-house](https://www.opendoor.com/articles/credit-score-to-buy-a-house)*