What Credit Score Do You Need to Buy a House?

What Credit Score Do You Need to Buy a House? Your credit score is one of the first things a mortgage lender will review when you apply to buy a home. However, there is no single credit score required for every borrower or every mortgage program. Some buyers may qualify with a credit score in the 50

How Overtime, Bonuses and Commission Income Are Calculated When Applying for a Mortgage

Many homebuyers earn more than a standard hourly wage or fixed salary. Overtime, performance bonuses and sales commissions can represent a significant portion of your total compensation—but the amount deposited into your bank account is not necessarily the amount a mortgage lender can use. When revi

Where Mortgage Rates Stand in June 2026 — and What's Driving Them

  If you've been watching mortgage rates this year hoping for a return to the 3% loans of 2020 and 2021, June 2026 has been a reminder that the market doesn't always move the way we expect. After a promising start to the year, rates reversed course this spring — and they're now sitting noticeably hi

America's 250th: Why This Anniversary Matters — and What It Has to Do With Owning a Home

In just a couple of weeks, on July 4, 2026, the United States turns 250 years old. A quarter of a millennium. Two and a half centuries since 56 men put their names to a single sheet of parchment in Philadelphia and declared that a new kind of nation could exist — one built on the radical idea that o