Know your credit

It’s important to know what the state of your credit is before you apply for a mortgage since the report and score plays an important role in how much money you’ll be able to borrow. In Massachusetts, residents can check their credit for free once a year (however, your actual score isn’t free).

There are a number of sites that will allow you to do this, but the three main reporting agencies are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Remember: The cleaner your report is, the fewer questions your lender will ask. Dispute any misinformation listed on your reports and try to improve your score by paying down your debt and by disputing negative information on your report.

Scoring is based on the amounts you owe, types of credit used, payment histories, length of total history, and any new credit.