Credit Reports

Tracy Head • June 2, 2025

Its been a while since I wrote about the importance of your credit report. This topic popped up twice this week so I think a refresher is not a bad idea.


When we submit a mortgage application lenders look carefully for a few specific things:

  1. Is the home you are looking to buy or refinance readily marketable / appeals to a wide range of potential buyers?
  2. Do you have your down payment in order?
  3. Do you have consistent income to repay your mortgage?
  4. Does your overall financial profile show you manage yourself responsibly?
  5. Does your credit report reflect a history of payments made on time and as agreed?


When they are reviewing your credit report they are also looking for a few specific things.

  1. How long have you had active credit facilities (credit card/line of credit/mortgage etc)?
  2. Do you have a history of making your payments on time?
  3. Do you pay most of your credit card balances off regularly or do you run with cards maxed out all the time?


Lenders fully understand that sometimes life happens and we can sometimes explain one-off blips or issues. If you have a consistent history of late payments that can become a bit more challenging to explain.


One thing that I chat about with my clients is how making your credit card payment a few days ahead of your statement cutoff date can really help boost your score.


Over the last few years it has become more common that people use their points cards for everything over the course of the month then pay their card in full once they get their statement. If you operate your credit card this way your credit report only picks up the balance as reported on your statement so it can look like you are always carrying a significant balance even though you always pay in full.


For most people this is not a big deal, but if you are working on improving your credit score this small tweak can have a huge impact.


The other issue that popped up this week was incorrect information on a client’s credit report. Part of her first name was missing and the birthdate was incorrect.


The client was able to confirm everything on her credit bureau for me right down to previous addresses, employers, and old loans that had been paid off.


Lenders would not move forward until her credit report was corrected and in this case because two items were wrong the client needs to correct it herself (normally we can help make changes fairly quickly).


Its always a good idea to review your credit report at least once a year to make sure that all of your information is reporting correctly. If there is an issue you can catch it early and correct it before you are in a panic midway through a mortgage application.


Changing topic a wee bit as my daughters are on evacuation alert already …


If you are in the process of buying a home as we move into fire season please make sure you have a clause in the agreement as to what will happen should there be an active fire nearby. Nail down your home insurance as early as possible because once there is an active fire close by securing an insurance policy can be very difficult if not impossible.

Tracy Head

Mortgage Broker

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By Tracy Head August 2, 2025
What does your mortgage broker bring to the table? I love what I do. Every day I learn something new. I meet amazing people. Each day is different and knowing that what I do is important is good for my soul. I had someone call the other day to ask some questions about a pre-approval and he finished up the call with a genuine question. Why would he want to work with a mortgage broker instead of his bank? There are many ways to answer that question. This isn’t intended to be a sales job about working with me but rather with mortgage professionals in general. Before you read any further understand that working with your bank may be the easiest solution for you. There are some amazing employees within the branch system so this is not intended in any way to make light of the work they do. As licensed professionals we work with mortgages every day. Most of us seem to live and breathe mortgages all the time including evenings and weekends. For many of us our families are annoyed by the constant distraction of our work. Boundaries are important of course and some brokers work a strict schedule. Many of us do make ourselves available evenings and weekends to help our clients because not everyone has the flexibility in their workday to deal with their mortgage. We work for you rather than one specific lender or financial institution so are looking for options that fit your situation rather than making your mortgage fit within one product. One of the most important differences between working with your bank and working with a mortgage professional is options. Not every client fits a cookie cutter approach. There are some situations where clients’ income doesn’t support their application in the traditional lending world. Sometimes clients have credit challenges. Sometimes clients are looking at a unique property. Mortgage professionals have access to a wide range of lenders, some of whom offer specialty products not available at your bank. Product knowledge and expertise can be another difference. As an example I work with many clients who are self-employed. There are mortgages specifically geared for self-employed clients that are available at banks as well but often the employees are unaware of these options.  For me, the relationship I build with my clients is the main differentiator about why I say clients should work with a mortgage professional rather than their bank. I take the time to get to know my clients and their situations and longer-term goals. I will still be here when their mortgage comes up for renewal and am able to answer questions in the meantime. I’ve had many clients comment over the years how much they appreciate the personal approach rather than feeling like a number at their bank - having to start from scratch with someone new each time they need help.
By tracy Head July 11, 2025
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