Home Loan Mortgage With Bad Credit: An Affordable Route to Home Ownership

Bad credit ratings are supposed to play havoc with the chances of securing approval on a mortgage application, but it is possible to get a home loan mortgage with bad credit. Having a bad credit history is no longer the end of the world when seeking large loans. The right lender is always willing to take the risk.The fact is that bad credit is not the indication of risk that it once was, with honest borrowers suffering in the economic crises of recent years. And with the growing influence of online lenders as known experts in lending to bad credit borrowers, getting approval with poor credit history is not likely to be too difficult anyway.There are always compromises to be made, of course, but these can be affordable. Interest rates on a home loan are typically higher than those charged normally, but they are also almost always lower than those charged by traditional mortgage providers.What Criteria Are Required?Satisfying the basic criteria is essential first if there is to be any chance of getting a home loan mortgage with bad credit. Of course, the specific criteria themselves are no surprise at all, relating to age, citizenship and employment status. These are simple to prove.Essentially, all loan applicants must be over the age of 18, while only US citizens and legal long-term residents are entitled to apply. Full-time employment, as well as an income sufficient to ensure repayments are made, are also essential. When these aspects are confirmed, then the task of seeking approval with poor credit history can begin.That stage of the application process has its own set of issues, not least the debt-to-income ratio that the applicant has, which dictates the affordability of the home loan. The only way in which bad credit scores play a part is in the interest rate to be charged.The Importance of Debt-to-Income RatioWhile credit scores can have a minor effect on the affordability of a loan, of far greater significance is the debt-to-income ratio the applicant has. Securing home loan mortgages with bad credit is dependent on proving repayments can be made comfortably, and the ratio establishes that as either fact or wishful thinking.The ratio measures the income earned each month against the total monthly expenditure. Set at 40:60, it allows no more than 40% of income to be committed to repaying loans, so getting approval with poor credit history is heavily dependent on staying within that limit.Lenders are very strict about the ratio, so if the home loan repayments cannot fit within the 40% limit, then they will reject the application. The size of an income is irrelevant if existing debt is too high, so clearing some of that debt with a small consolidation loan is the best way around that problem.Use a Large Down PaymentA key part to any property deal is the down payment made, but its importance extends far beyond the role of just sealing the deal. It also reduces the size of the required mortgage, thus lowering the debt. Getting a home loan mortgage with bad credit is greatly helped by a providing a larger down payment.For example, a 10% payment on a $200,000 property means a mortgage of $180,000 is needed, but a 20% down payments lowers the sum to $160,000, and approval with poor credit history is easier to secure on the smaller sum.Remember too that with a lower principal borrowed comes a lower monthly repayment. And with every savings made, the better off the borrower is. After all, over 30 years, saving just $50 each month on home loan repayments means a total savings of $18,000 over the lifetime of the mortgage.