Credit Repair Timeline: How Long Does It Take to Fix Your Credit Before Buying a Home?

Your credit score is the single biggest factor that determines whether you get a mortgage, what interest rate you pay, and how much home you can afford. A 100-point difference in your score can mean $200+ more per month on the same house.

So how long does it actually take to fix your credit? The honest answer: it depends on where you're starting and what's dragging your score down. But here's what most articles won't tell you — most people can improve their score by 50–100 points in 3–6 months with the right actions.

This guide gives you a realistic, month-by-month timeline based on your current credit situation.

Credit Scores and Mortgage Loans: What You Need

Before we talk about fixing your score, let's establish the targets:

Minimum Credit Scores by Loan Type

What Your Score Costs You

On a $350,000, 30-year fixed mortgage:

The difference between a 620 and a 760 score is $344/month and $124,000 in total interest. Spending 6–12 months improving your credit before buying could literally save you six figures.

What's Hurting Your Score?

Your FICO score is calculated from five factors:

1. Payment history (35%) — Late payments, collections, bankruptcies
2. Credit utilization (30%) — How much of your available credit you're using
3. Length of credit history (15%) — Average age of your accounts
4. Credit mix (10%) — Variety of account types
5. New credit inquiries (10%) — Recent applications for credit

The first two factors account for 65% of your score. That's where to focus.

Your Credit Repair Timeline by Starting Score

Starting Score: 500–579 (Poor)

Timeline to mortgage-ready: 12–24 months

You likely have collections, charge-offs, or recent late payments. Here's your path:

Months 1–2: Audit and dispute

• Pull free reports from AnnualCreditReport.com (all three bureaus)
• List every negative item with dates and amounts
• Dispute any errors — wrong balances, accounts that aren't yours, paid collections still showing as unpaid
• Send disputes online through each bureau's website or by certified mail
• The bureaus have 30 days to investigate

Months 2–4: Address collections

• Contact collection agencies for "pay for delete" agreements — you pay the balance, they remove the item from your report. Get it in writing before paying.
• For medical collections: under newer FICO models and recent credit bureau policies, paid medical collections are removed from reports. Prioritize paying these.
• For old collections close to the 7-year statute: sometimes waiting is smarter than paying, since paying can reset the "last activity" date with some scoring models

Months 3–6: Build positive history

• Open a secured credit card (Capital One, Discover, or your local credit union). Deposit $200–$500.
• Use it for one small recurring charge (streaming service, gas)
• Pay the full balance every month — set up autopay
• If you have no installment loans, consider a credit-builder loan from a credit union ($500–$1,000)

Months 6–12: Grow and optimize

• Request a credit limit increase on your secured card (no hard pull if possible)
• Keep utilization under 10% on every card
• Never miss a payment — set up autopay for at least the minimum on every account
• After 6 months of on-time payments on a secured card, ask to graduate to an unsecured card

Months 12–24: Polish

• Continue perfect payment history
• Let negative items age (their impact decreases over time)
• Avoid opening new accounts in the 6 months before applying for a mortgage
• Expected score [improvement](/blog/heloc-vs-home-improvement-loan): 80–150 points

Starting Score: 580–649 (Fair)

Timeline to mortgage-ready: 6–12 months

You might technically qualify for an FHA loan right now, but a few months of work could save you tens of thousands in interest.

Month 1: Quick wins

• Check reports for errors and dispute them
• Pay down credit card balances to under 30% utilization (under 10% is ideal)
• If you have one card maxed at $2,000, paying it down to $200 could boost your score 30–50 points within one billing cycle

Months 1–3: Eliminate negatives

• Negotiate pay-for-delete on small collections
• Bring any past-due accounts current immediately — even one 30-day late payment drops your score 60–100 points
• If you have a charge-off, negotiate a settlement or payment plan. A settled charge-off looks better than an unpaid one.

Months 3–6: Optimize utilization

• Spread balances across cards rather than maxing one
• Ask for credit limit increases (reduces your utilization percentage)
• Pay credit cards twice per month — once before the statement date and once before the due date — to keep reported balances low

Months 6–12: Maintain and coast

• Don't open or close any accounts
• Keep all payments on time
• Let your average account age increase
• Expected score improvement: 50–100 points

Starting Score: 650–699 (Good)

Timeline to mortgage-ready: 2–6 months

You're close. Small optimizations make a big difference here.

Month 1: Utilization blitz

• Pay every credit card balance below 10% of the limit
• This single action can add 20–40 points in 30 days
• Call card issuers and request limit increases

Months 1–3: Clean up

• Dispute any remaining errors on your reports
• Become an authorized user on a family member's old, high-limit, perfect-payment card (this adds their history to your file)
• Don't apply for any new credit

Months 3–6: Lock it in

• Maintain under 10% utilization
• Zero late payments
• Expected score improvement: 20–60 points
• Target: 700+ for significantly better mortgage rates

Starting Score: 700+ (Very Good to Excellent)

Timeline to mortgage-ready: 0–3 months

You're already in solid shape. Fine-tuning can save you money:

• Drop utilization to under 5% before your mortgage application
• Don't open any new accounts for 3–6 months before applying
• Don't close old accounts (it shortens your credit history)
• Check for errors — even at 700+, report mistakes happen
• Expected score improvement: 10–30 points

Month-by-Month Action Plan (Universal)

Regardless of your starting score, follow this checklist:

Month 1

• Pull all three credit reports (free at AnnualCreditReport.com)
• List every negative item
• File disputes for errors (online or certified mail)
• Pay down highest-utilization cards first
• Set up autopay on every account (at least minimum payment)

Month 2

• Follow up on disputes (bureaus have 30 days to respond)
• Contact collection agencies about pay-for-delete
• Open a secured card if you have fewer than 2 active accounts
• Check your score (free through Credit Karma, your bank, or Discover)

Month 3

• Re-dispute any items not properly investigated
• Request credit limit increases
• Pay balances before statement closing dates
• Review score changes — adjust strategy based on what moved the needle

Months 4–6

• Continue perfect payment history
• Keep utilization under 10%
• Do NOT apply for new credit
• Consider a credit-builder loan if your mix is limited

Months 6–12

• Get pre-approved by a mortgage lender (soft pull first if possible)
• Address any issues the lender flags
• Maintain financial stability — no job changes, large purchases, or new debt
• Lock in your rate when ready

How Long Negative Items Stay on Your Report

Understanding the timeline helps you strategize:

Key insight: the impact of every negative item decreases over time, even before it falls off your report. A 4-year-old collection hurts far less than a 6-month-old one.

Credit Repair Services: Worth It?

Mostly no. Here's why:

Credit repair companies cannot do anything you can't do yourself for free. They dispute items with the bureaus — the same thing you can do at AnnualCreditReport.com. They typically charge $50–$150/month and take 6–12 months.

When a credit repair company might help:

• You have a complex situation (identity theft, mixed files with someone who has a similar name)
• You genuinely don't have time to manage disputes yourself
• You choose a reputable company (check BBB ratings, avoid anyone who guarantees specific score increases)

Red flags to avoid:

• Guarantees to remove accurate negative information (illegal and impossible)
• Asks for payment before performing services (violates the Credit Repair Organizations Act)
• Suggests creating a "new credit identity" using an EIN or CPN (this is federal fraud)

The Rapid Rescore Option

If you're in the middle of a mortgage application and need a quick score boost, ask your loan officer about a rapid rescore. This is a service available only through mortgage lenders that updates your credit report within 3–5 business days based on documented changes (paying down a balance, correcting an error).

A rapid rescore costs $25–$50 per account per bureau (paid by the lender, typically passed to you). It's worth it if paying down one card could push your score over a threshold that unlocks a better rate.

What NOT to Do Before Applying for a Mortgage

In the 6 months before your mortgage application:

• Don't close old credit cards — it reduces available credit and shortens history
• Don't open new credit cards or loans — hard inquiries and new accounts both lower your score
• Don't co-sign for anyone — their debt shows up on your report
• Don't make large deposits without a paper trail — lenders will question unexplained deposits
• Don't change jobs — lenders prefer 2+ years at the same employer
• Don't pay off collections without strategy — paying an old collection can sometimes temporarily lower your score if it resets the "last activity" date

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a mortgage with a 580 credit score?

Yes, through an FHA loan with 3.5% down. However, your interest rate will be higher, and you'll pay mortgage insurance for the life of the loan (unless you refinance later). If possible, spend 6–12 months improving to 620+ for conventional loan access, or 700+ for the best rates.

How fast can I raise my credit score 100 points?

If high credit utilization is your main issue, you could see a 50–100 point jump within 30–60 days by paying down balances. If late payments or collections are the problem, expect 6–12 months for a 100-point improvement with consistent effort.

Do medical bills affect my credit score for mortgage purposes?

Medical collections under $500 are no longer included on credit reports. Paid medical collections are also removed. Unpaid medical collections over $500 don't appear until 365 days after the date of the first delinquency, giving you time to resolve billing disputes or set up payment plans.

Should I use Credit Karma scores for mortgage planning?

Credit Karma uses VantageScore 3.0, while most mortgage lenders use FICO Score 2 (Experian), FICO Score 5 (Equifax), and FICO Score 4 (TransUnion). Your VantageScore is usually close but can differ by 20–40 points. For mortgage planning, get your actual FICO scores through myFICO.com or ask your lender to pull them.

If I dispute an item and win, how fast does my score update?

Once the bureau removes or corrects the item, your score typically updates within 1–2 billing cycles (30–60 days). If you need it faster, ask your mortgage lender about a rapid rescore.

Does checking my own credit hurt my score?

No. Checking your own credit is a "soft inquiry" and has zero impact on your score. Check as often as you want. Only "hard inquiries" from lender applications affect your score, and even those only cost 5–10 points and fall off after 2 years.

Your 6-Month Credit Fix Starts Now

Pull your credit reports today. It's free, it takes 15 minutes, and you might find errors worth 30+ points. Every month you wait is a month of potential improvement wasted — and a month closer to paying a higher mortgage rate.

Your future mortgage payment depends on the work you put in today. Make it count.

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• How to Get a 700 Credit Score: Step-by-Step Plan
• How to Get an 800 Credit Score: Advanced Strategies