Ken Lam Realty · Tools

Credit health check-up

Five quick answers. See which part of your credit is strong, which part drags, and what to fix first before you apply for a home loan.

Late payments in the last 24 months

Card utilization, all cards

Total balances ÷ total limits. Not sure? Use T231.

Oldest account

years

Hard inquiries, last 12 months

Types of accounts

types

Card, auto loan, student loan, mortgage, personal loan…

Estimated tier (not a score)

Good

The 5 FICO factors, weighted

Bar width = FICO's general weight (35/30/15/10/10). Colour = how you did on this check. FICO says the weights vary from person to person.

Do these 3 first

Mortgage score lines (2026)

FHA 580+ = 3.5% down · 500–579 = 10% down
Conventional Fannie DU has no minimum since 11/16/2025; most lenders still want about 620+ (estimate)
CalHFA Dream For All / Conventional: 680 minimum
Jumbo usually 700+ (estimate)
Best Fannie pricing 780+ pays the lowest credit fee (LLPA)

This is a rough check-up, not a credit score. The points come from a simple scale we built on FICO's published weights, not FICO's formula. Mortgage lenders pull Classic FICO from all 3 bureaus (since 9/9/2026 they may use VantageScore 4.0), so your app score can differ.

All credit tools

T231 Credit utilization calculatorEnter balances and limits for up to 5 cards: see each card and total %, and what to pay to get to 30% / 10%.
T232 Which card to pay first?Have a lump sum? Compare the score-first split with the interest-first split, card by card.
T233 How long does it stay? When can I get a mortgage?Late payment, collection, bankruptcy, foreclosure: when it falls off and the earliest date for each loan type.
T234 Credit report dispute letterA filled-in dispute or goodwill letter, the 3 bureau addresses, the 30/45-day deadline and a mailing checklist.
T235 What loans does my score qualify for?Enter your score and down payment: see which of Conventional, FHA, VA, Jumbo and CalHFA fit.
T236 Which score does the lender use?Enter each borrower’s 3 scores: see the middle score and the score the lender uses for the loan.
T237 Rate shopping windowPick the date of the first credit pull: see the last day to shop rates and count as one inquiry.
T238 Credit-building plan before you buyPick your situation and target month: get a month-by-month plan to be ready before you apply.
T239 Credit freeze & identity theftFreeze, fraud alert, IdentityTheft.gov: a step-by-step checklist and a reminder to lift it before a lender pulls.
T37 How much is my credit score costing me?Slide your score: see the estimated rate, monthly payment and what it costs next to a 760+ borrower.

Common myth: "Under 30% utilization is all you need." FICO says its data shows no cliff at 30%. Lower is better, and under 10% helps. People with an 850 average about 4.1%.

Next steps

Pull all 3 reports free at AnnualCreditReport.com (free every week). Checking your own is a soft pull.
Find the card that pushes your utilization up with T231, then split your cash with T232.
See which loans your score fits in T235, and what each band costs per month in T37.

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