AUGUST 29, 2019 BY ANGIE

If you’re like most people, you already know that the higher your credit score is, the more likely you are to qualify for better interest rates and better terms on a loan. Improving your credit score can take time, though, and it’s something you have to plan to do.

But you can use these three tips to boost your score while you’re enacting a long-term plan. You should always talk to a financial adviser before making any major moves – and remember that what we’re telling you here isn’t financial advice. It’s just what we’ve seen work in the past.

3 Tips to Boost Your Credit Before You Buy a Home

Boosting your credit score is a big deal, and if you use these tips, they’re likely to improve your score:

• Pay down your balances
• Make sure all your bills are current
• Request a credit line increase

Let’s look more closely at each of these tips.

#1. Pay down your balances

Paying down how much you owe can have a big impact on your credit score. In fact, because lenders look at how much you owe versus how much a lender is willing to let you borrow, having low balances can show that you’re responsible with your money and that you don’t carry a lot of debt.

#2. Make sure all your bills are current

Late payments can ruin your credit score, so make sure everything you have is paid on time. If it’s feasible, you can sign up for automatic payments on many of your credit cards and other bills – that way, you can set it and forget it.

#3. Request a credit line increase

If you request a credit line increase and a lender agrees to give it to you, your credit score could go up. That’s because the amount you owe looks smaller against a higher credit limit (just like it would if you paid down your balances).