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My credit score finally hit 680 after a year of work
I just checked my FICO score from Experian and it's 680, which is the exact number my lender said I needed for a decent home loan rate. I had to settle a $1,200 old medical bill and get a secured card to make it happen. Has anyone else had a specific score goal that unlocked a better mortgage offer?
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ruby_wright5mo ago
That's awesome about hitting 680, it's such a good feeling to finally see the number you need. I was in the same boat last year, my lender told me 700 would get me a way better rate. I had to pay off a stupid old cell phone bill I forgot about and it took forever for the credit card balances to report low enough. It took like three months of watching it creep up, but when it finally ticked over to 700 it was such a relief. The rate drop was totally worth all the hassle.
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lily_cooper5mo ago
Worth all the hassle" feels like a stretch. That three month grind for a few points sounds miserable for maybe a slightly lower payment.
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morgan.jason2mo ago
Wait, does paying off the card before the statement date even get reported or just zero out the balance?
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kai_chen25mo ago
Yeah, the "miserable grind" part lily_cooper mentioned is so real. I felt that hard when I was trying to bump my score for a car loan. What finally worked for me was just putting every single small bill, like my streaming services and even my coffee runs, on one card and then paying the full balance off the second I got paid. It felt a bit nuts, but it forced my reported usage way down. Seeing that number move after a few cycles made the hassle feel less pointless, even when it was slow.
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