You don’t need a perfect credit score to get a mortgage — there are home loans for people with bad credit. But before getting this type of mortgage, find out how a lower credit score affects your overall borrowing costs.

Buying a home with bad credit

It’s possible to buy a home with bad credit — you could have a credit score as low as 500 and still qualify for a mortgage. The lower your credit score, though, the fewer lending options you’ll have and the higher your mortgage rate will be.

FICO scores, the credit scores used by most lenders, typically range from 300 to 850. Having a lower credit score translates to higher risk for a lender, and vice versa. Any score 669 or lower is considered “fair” or “poor.” Here’s a breakdown:

• Exceptional: 800 and higher 
• Very Good: 740-799
• Good: 670-739
• Fair: 580-669
• Poor: 580 and lower 

Lenders like to see high credit scores because it exhibits an ability to manage debt, make on-time payments and use credit responsibly. Your creditworthiness will come into question if you plan on buying a home with bad credit, but it doesn’t have to hold you back from homeownership.

5 home loans for bad credit

Consider one of the following home loans for bad credit.

Fannie MaeHomeReady

Fannie Mae’s HomeReady mortgage program is an option for both first-time homebuyers and repeat buyers with limited access to down payment funds and a fair credit score. This conventional home loan has cancellable mortgage insurance for those who put down less than 20%, and gives borrowers the option to use boarder or rental income to help them qualify. If all borrowers on a loan are first-timers, at least one borrower is required to complete a homeownership education course.

Eligibility requirements include:

• A minimum 620credit score
• A minimum 3% down payment
• A low- to moderate income

FHA Loans

Mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) could be considered bad credit home loans because they make it easier for low-credit-score homebuyers to get a mortgage. FHA loans have a low down payment requirement, but you’ll pay mortgage insurance premiums (both upfront and annual) for the life of your loan. If you put down at least 10%, you can get rid of mortgage insurance after 11 years.

Eligibility requirements include:

• A minimum 10% down payment for a 500-579 credit score
• A minimum 3.5% down for a 580+ credit score
• Borrowing within your county’s FHA loan limits

USDA loans

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) insures mortgages funded by approved lenders through the USDA home loan program. There’s no minimum required credit score, but a 640 score could help you get approved automatically if you meet employment and income requirements.

Eligibility requirements include:

• No minimum required down payment
• Meeting local income limits
• Buying a home in a designated rural area

VA Loans

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) also offers bad credit home loans through approved lenders for active-duty service members, veterans and eligible spouses. The VA doesn’t have a specific credit score requirement, but lenders may require a minimum 620score. No down payment is required. Additionally, most borrowers will have to pay an upfront funding fee to offset the cost of VA loans to taxpayers.

Eligibility requirements include:

• Getting a Certificate of Eligibility
• Meeting income requirements

Non-qualified mortgage loans

The loans discussed above are all qualified mortgages, meaning they meet certain requirements that establish a borrower’s ability to repay a loan. There are also non-qualified mortgage (non-QM) loans, which have more wiggle room for high-risk borrowers, such as accepting credit scores below 500.

Eligibility requirements include:

• Demonstrating your ability to repay the loan
• A minimum down payment up to 20%
• A maximum debt-to-income ratio of up to 55%

How to get a home loan with bad credit

Use the following list of tips as a resource to help you get a bad credit home loan.

• Avoid applying for new credit. A new auto loan, credit card or personal loan application means you’ll have new inquiries on your credit reports, which can drop your credit score.
• Dispute any credit report errors. Finding and disputing inaccurate information on your credit reports could improve your credit score and help lenders see you as a less risky borrower.
• Pay your bills on time. Your payment history makes up the biggest chunk of your credit score at 35%, according to FICO. Making on-time payments can help boost your score and demonstrate your creditworthiness as a borrower.
• Lower your outstanding debt load. Pay down your credit card and loan balances. Lenders don’t want to see that your income is stretched too thin to afford a mortgage. Keep your credit usage below 30% of your maximum credit limit across each of your accounts.
• Don’t close any accounts. Closing old accounts, especially credit cards, shortens your overall credit history and can negatively impact your credit score.
• Have your rent payments reported to the credit bureaus. As long as you’ve been maintaining an on-time rental payment history, having your rent payments reported to the bureaus may boost your score.
• Make a larger down payment. A larger down payment can compensate for a lower credit score. Don’t completely drain your cash reserves, though. Keep three to six months’ worth of living expenses in a savings account for emergencies.
• Pay for mortgage points. If you have the extra cash, consider buying mortgage points to lower your interest rate and overall loan costs. One point is equal 1% of your loan amount and can lower your rate by up to 0.25%.

Should you get a bad credit home loan?

Home loans for bad credit come with more risk for lenders, so you can expect to pay more as a borrower. Crunch the numbers with a mortgage calculator to help you determine whether to move forward with a bad credit mortgage or wait until your credit profile improves.

Here’s an example of how your credit score can affect your costs on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage:

As you can see, improving your score from “fair” to “very good” could amount to a mortgage payment that is nearly $184 less each month, saving you more than $2,200 each year and more than $66,000 in interest over the term of your mortgage.