Getting Credit-Ready for a Mortgage — Start With an Accurate Report

Before approving a mortgage, lenders review your reports from all three bureaus in detail. Errors — accounts that aren't yours, wrong balances, duplicate collections — can distort what they see and cost you at the closing table.

That's why we start every mortgage preparation the same way: find out what's actually on your reports, and correct anything inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable before a lender ever pulls them.

• Accounts that aren't yours — mixed files and identity errors land on reports far more often than people think.
• Wrong late payments — a single incorrectly reported late payment can change how an underwriter sees your whole file.
• Balances and limits reported wrong — distorted utilization makes you look more maxed out than you are.
• Duplicate collections — the same debt counted twice can look like double the trouble.

See the full list in our free 27 Credit Report Errors checklist.

Mortgage preparation works best with runway. Reviewing your reports several months ahead leaves time to dispute inaccurate items and for the bureaus' investigation — typically around 30 days, with results that vary by item — to finish before a lender pulls your file.

If you're planning to apply soon, start now. The earlier the review, the more options you have.

We start with a free consultation and a line-by-line review of your reports, help you dispute anything inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable, and teach you what underwriters look at — so you walk into your application knowing your file is accurate and you understand it. Honest work, no guarantees, pricing in writing before you agree to anything.