1. Check your credit report
Your credit report is a summary of your borrowing history and habits. It's something mortgage lenders will take into account when deciding if you're a viable borrowing candidate or not. Review that report thoroughly and make sure there are no red flags, like delinquent debts in your name. If there are, it pays to work on resolving those matters before moving forward with a mortgage application.Similarly, you'll want to make sure your credit report doesn't contain errors (like delinquent debts you've since settled up) that could work against you. If you find them, you'll want to correct them before applying for a home loan.
2. Find out your actual credit score
Many consumers are surprised to learn that their credit reports don't list their actual credit score. To get that number, you may need to log onto your bank or credit card account. Or, you may need to pay for it.
Either way, it's important to know what your credit score looks like and make sure you're happy with that number. The higher it is, the more likely you are to not only get approved for a mortgage, but lock in a competitive mortgage rate on that loan. In fact, if you're able to get your credit score into the mid to upper 700s (or higher, of course), you'll probably snag the best rate any given lender is offering.
3. Lower your debt load
The more debt you have, the more a lender might hesitate to give you a mortgage -- especially if that debt eats up a lot of your income. You may want to consider paying off some debt before submitting a mortgage application. And if you're going to do so, focus on credit card debt first. Lowering your credit card debt could not only help your debt-to-income ratio improve, but it could also raise your credit score.
When You Should Refinance Your Loan:-
Timing the refinancing well makes a big difference to your loan payments. Here are the situations under which it makes sense to refinance.
· WHEN THERE’S TIME LEFT ON YOUR LOAN: Refinancing early in your loan tenure – typically in the first half – makes more sense. During this time, your EMIs focus mostly on interest payments. Therefore, a refinanced loan at a lower interest rate will lead to savings.
· WHEN YOU GET LOWER INTEREST RATES: Often the biggest part of home ownership cost is the interest on the home loan. A loan cheaper by around 50 basis points or more could lead to a shorter loan tenure, lower EMIs, lower interest payments, and large long-term savings.
· WHEN YOUR CREDIT SCORE & INCOME IMPROVE: An improvement in your credit score (750 or above) as well as income stability will allow you to access the best loan offers.
· WHEN COSTS OF REFINANCING JUSTIFY IT: Refinancing has a cost. When the projected savings from refinancing exceed the costs, you should consider refinancing.
· WHEN YOU’RE GETTING BETTER SERVICE: Digitised account management, on-tap customer service, proximity to branch, lower costs of account management coupled with the above-mentioned reasons, make for a compelling case for refinancing.
Refinancing Your Mortgage-With interest rates at their historic low and so many great offers available, now is an ideal time to shop around for a better value home loan.
Potential reasons to refinance:-
· Get peace of mind
Fixing part - or all - of your loan, or securing a better rate to reduce your monthly repayments can help with peace of mind.
· Consolidating other debts
Consolidating other debt, like credit cards or personal loans, could help you to reduce your interest rate on these loans.
· Take advantage of different features
You may wish to switch to a loan with more suitable features such as a redraw facility or offset account.
· Unlocking equity
Refinancing can help you unlock the equity in your home to finance a renovation or free up some capital for property investment.