The Physician Mortgage Loan Program makes it a much easier process for medical professionals – such as residents/fellows, attending physicians, veterinarians, podiatrists, optometrists, etc.- to buy a new home with a much lower down payment and no required mortgage insurance.
Even with the program partial towards medical professionals, the same rules still apply when purchasing such a large item – the credit score is still an essential indicator of qualification.
Whether a physician has excellent credit or not, the credit score does affect eligibility for a mortgage. It’s credit that informs what type of financing a bank will ultimately offer. Credit scores impact both if someone qualifies for the physician loan program and determining the required down payment amount – if any.
Pre-approval allows potential buyers to see what they qualify for and if additional time is needed to improve their credit scores before going through the entire physician loan process.
Here are (5) five different criteria used in computing a credit score:
Payment History (35%)
Credit Utilization (30%)
Length of Credit History (15%)
Credit Mix (10%)
New Credit (10%)
It is always best to keep credit card usage under 95% of their available credit. Potential buyers can quickly improve their credit score by either paying off the amount before it’s due or asking for a credit limit increase – thus lowering the usage rate.
Overall, physicians are a low risk for the banks, according to ZipRecruiter. They have approximately a 0.2% default rate – much lower than the average. However, the criteria for lending differs for each lender.
On average, even though the perfect credit score is 850, lenders will look for medical professionals with a minimum credit score of 680 – 700.
Potential borrowers are encouraged to use a website such as Credit.com or Credit Karma to get a free estimate of their score. If a borrower’s score is under 680, it is possible to boost their score within several months.
Generally, the higher the credits score, the better the interest rate. Borrowers with a 760 or above credit score receive the optimum interest rates.
MDMortgageLoan.com can help physicians find the right lender while weighing each pros and cons of the program that will impact the future – including credit score. MDMortgageLoan.com will help borrowers narrow down the list to find the right lender for a physician mortgage program.
