FHA vs. Conventional Home Loans

The main advantage of FHA home loans is that the credit qualifying criteria for a borrower are not as strict as conventional financing. FHA will allow the borrower who has had a few "credit problems" or those without a credit history to buy a home. FHA will require a reasonable explanation of these derogatory items, but will approach a person's credit history with common sense credit underwriting. Most notably, borrowers with extenuating circumstances surrounding bankruptcy that was discharged 2 years ago can work around the credit hurdles they created in their past. Conventional financing, on the other hand, relies heavily upon credit scoring. Credit scoring is a rating given by a credit bureau (such as Experian, Trans-Union, or Equifax) that ranks you upon your credit profile. For each inquiry, credit derogatory or public record that shows up in your credit report, your score is lowered (even if such items are in error). If your score is below the minimum standard, you will not qualify--end of story.