Credit Scores = ROI Profits for Real Estate Investors

Strong credit saves real estate investors money on mortgage finance costs. A good credit score, along with the other credit and mortgage qualifications, means that investors can pay lower fees for financing, such as points and interest charges. Also, good credit scores help you avoid garbage fees associated with nonprime loans.

However, the real money making difference for real estate investors comes into play in the return on investment (ROI). When you build up your credit score over 720, you open the way to finance multiple investment properties using other people's money. Today, you can get investment property financing for as little as 5% down when you meet the qualifying credit requirements. This means that your ROI on your cash investment for the down payment can be significant.

For example, let's take a home I found in Bradenton, Florida. Built in 1999, this 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1600 square foot home looks like a great buy for only $219,000. Assume that the property could be purchased for $215,000. With strong credit, the 5% down cash investment of $10,750 buys into the appreciation value of $215,000. A lower credit score would mean that you'd have to put 10%-25% down or more, which lowers your return on investment. You would need $21,500-$53,750 down to buy into the same $215,000 appreciation investment. In this case, your ROI for your cash outlay would decrease significantly.

Of course, other factors like carrying costs affect your investment capabilities. The point: get your credit score over 720 so that when you're ready to buy investment property, you get the best return on your money.

Copyright © 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved

Jeanette Fisher, author of Credit Help! Get the Credit You Need to Buy Real Estate, interior design, and real estate books, has researched mortgage credit qualifications besides credit scores to finance multiple investment properties. Jeanette teaches college courses on Design Psychology and professional real estate investing seminars. For free "Credit Tips for Mortgage Financing" report, visit the Real Estate Credit Help Center at http://recredithelp.com/

In The News:

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://business.maktoob.com/NewsDetails-20070423198816-Chinas_sovereign_wealth_fund_to_avoid_western_financial_firms_report.htmcid=1277021301ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNGTCaCbOVW4ZZPBFJVlGIv1E19kmAimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=K62OWT971-0Jimgurl=business.maktoob.com/BusinessImages/News/20070423198816/Feature.jpg width=80 height=48 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Maktoob Business (press release)/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122826930864174785.html%3Fmod%3Dgooglenews_wsjcid=1277021301ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNHBaUtILpaa0FWTUojDSkACAF6hyQCIC Head Wary of bInvesting/b in Western Banks/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fWall Street Journalnbsp;-/font nobrDec 2, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Lou Jiwei, who head#39;s China bInvestment/b Corp., said the uncertainty surrounding Western banks and the policy decisions that may determine their fate makes it b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5haP0592w0-kALVr8zJ57yL0SubKwcid=1277021301ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNHmZbpqGsLeMb5IIYOM-6hR9GLrhgChina#39;s sovereign wealth fund to avoid western financial firms: report/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrAFP/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.reuters.com/article/mergersNews/idUSHKG4792720081203cid=1277021301ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNFWXauxULVFIUp9Zb9Paz6cvg9U7QUPDATE 1-China wealth fund lacks stomach for financial buys/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrReuters/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.in-forum.com/ap/index.cfm%3Fpage%3Dview%26id%3DD94R1S8O0cid=1277021301ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNF4KjC7nwRKqKOi9k-6ZtjLeQd7fQHead of China#39;s biggest government binvestment/b fund says not b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrIn-Forum/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gD9J9UD7Yp9X0GGbS9mE0jDvK3NAD94QV6782cid=1277021301ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNEhQTmJpBKmbv-D5NhAHn7n3qVGhwnobrThe Associated Press/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.chinaknowledge.com/News/news-detail.aspx%3Fid%3D19422%26cat%3DFNDcid=1277021301ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNHS4B2SSdBeCf2CpOyyrCHKyeyIUgnobrChina Knowledge Online/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1277021301hl=ennobrall 256 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/MoneyCompany/~3/473033501/toss-your-stock.htmlcid=1276924039ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNEeaqC3vtkMR6V1nyElftDd-d1dvAToss your stock-binvesting/b assumptions, Bill Gross says/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fLos Angeles Times,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobrDec 2, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1So says Bill Gross, noted bond guru at Pacific bInvestment/b Management Co. in Newport Beach. Perhaps not surprisingly, Gross argues that it’s “better to own b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/investing/2008/12/02/etf-investing-5-pitfalls-to-avoid.htmlcid=1277290786ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNG74sFZOLRMh_qSpVJw55RraLDGtAETF bInvesting/b: 5 Pitfalls to Avoid/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fU.S. News World Report,nbsp;DCnbsp;-/font nobr6 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Kirk Shinkle Security, transparency, low costs: It#39;s the mantra of the exchange-traded fund industry, and by and large, most ETFs do live up to the b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/investing/2008/12/03/building-a-portfolio-using-etfs.htmlcid=1277290786ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNGLZaXp4QPjIG0nMw_3AAvu9C5neABuilding a Portfolio Using ETFs/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrU.S. News World Report/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1277290786hl=ennobrall 5 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Ziegler-Exchange-Traded-Trust-Announces/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BDF4DAA5B-CA20-4759-A48B-FE62B4FE79F3%257Dcid=1277195626ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNFFo07-yi-gifSNmkg-OaRespkmYQZiegler Exchange Traded Trust Announces Change to Previously b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr14 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Prospective purchasers of the NYSE Arca Tech 100 ETF should consider the binvestment/b objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before binvesting/b. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i26BE7fXAtVAaZ7b4XFXVDycCiNQcid=1274822976ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNGugFpBWYHCqazi13xRGFgfhxRjvQimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=8Okj0ZM7Ye0Jimgurl=www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5iSKq-w0uafZ9QVjddwuvI3NWYVvg width=80 height=53 alt= border=1brfont size=-2AFP/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://seekingalpha.com/article/108954-recessions-are-perfect-for-currency-investingcid=1274822976ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNGLjIJIsl2PlItgEWdCN8WU78zpxQRecessions Are Perfect for Currency bInvesting/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fSeeking Alpha,nbsp;NYnbsp;-/font nobr17 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1One thing that I love about the currency market is that there is always a currency or two going up at all times, even when stocks and commodities are b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3Fpid%3D20601087%26sid%3DaOv7gMbqGRXE%26refer%3Dhomecid=1274822976ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNHVhReOuT9-soHdmJQSjcMMt_3NYQYen Gains on Concern Recession Will Spur Repatriation of Funds/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrBloomberg/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.forexhound.com/article.cfm%3FarticleID%3D119359cid=1274822976ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNFweqR4cnNqKW9VZdqOl-ajka26TAMarket Overview by Forex Yard/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrForex Hound/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.forexfactory.com/news.php%3Fdo%3Dnews%26id%3D132147cid=1274822976ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNFK3UC3MKcnLkLE_1JQPl9u-LEqtwWeekly Forex Wrap-up/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrForex Factory/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewarticle%2Barticleid_2840959.htmlcid=1274822976ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNEythMo7bW_ogUeoE-kUqk5vIVK7AnobristockAnalyst.com (press release)/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1274822976hl=ennobrall 474 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://technocrat.net/d/2008/12/3/55142cid=1275863274ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNFJiEuQlUphVciQHwO_zfQ5fBweigChinese Government to Stop bInvesting/b in Western Banks/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fTechnocrat.net,nbsp;MAnbsp;-/font nobr2 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Saying there is too much uncertainty with failing banks and bailouts in the western world, the head of the Chinese Sovereign bInvestment/b fund has indicated b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.fool.com/investing/value/2008/12/03/your-once-in-a-lifetime-investing-opportunity.aspxcid=1277257929ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNGHDdHKaDcpFqf6bNqHpkCvX_zaDAYour Once-in-a-Lifetime bInvesting/b Opportunity/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMotley Foolnbsp;-/font nobr10 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1But it was binvestment/b banks and financial institutions -- the largest and fiercest players on Wall Street -- that were literally ground zero for this b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Research-Markets-Wall-Streets-Buried/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B6DF42620-8A22-4060-AFAB-9746E61CF9C9%257Dcid=1276921655ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNGOq1tRreAw5u462YfqNlhEjtWxsQResearch and Markets: Wall Street#39;s Buried Treasure: The Low b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobrDec 2, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1BILL KRAFT, trader, speaker, trading coach, and author of Trade Your Way to Wealth quot;bInvesting/b without Wall Street#39;s Buried Treasure is like trying to live b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.usnews.com/blogs/new-money/2008/12/03/a-blitz-of-funds-reopen-for-business.htmlcid=1276921655ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNHEgxulbmHE6PcfYMi8L3iNHnQn1gA Blitz of Funds Reopen for Business/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrU.S. News World Report/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3Fpid%3D20601087%26sid%3Da_3sKuDYazdE%26refer%3Dhomecid=1276921655ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNFJ99nAE5iVFRrEv3IRjN4kayxPqwFidelity to Open Contrafund, Low-Priced Stock Fund (Update1)/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrBloomberg/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1276921655hl=ennobrall 48 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/02/news/economy/lashinsky_investing.fortune/cid=0ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNFqgUUcYQATwOhHaNwLL4qmaxK3uQA slow and steady binvesting/b strategy/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fCNNMoney.comnbsp;-/font nobr17 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Investor Daily: During the flat market of 1966-1982, investors who kept binvesting/b every month earned better returns. By Adam Lashinsky, senior writer SAN b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/ProFunds-Group-Names-Todd-Johnson/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B6F12D787-F2AA-467D-AB6E-EF41B647FE49%257Dcid=1276872728ei=Q3E3SfOBM5zI8ASYzPSlDwusg=AFQjCNF2pGyWIbX-CA5UwjRZRpSQZIla-wProFunds Group Names Todd Johnson Chief bInvestment/b Officer/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobrDec 2, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Mr. Johnson, formerly with World Asset Management, will oversee all binvestment/b operations for ProShares ETFs and ProFunds mutual funds. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
investing - Google News

Why You Need To Buy and Sell Gold Coins (Part 2)

How to Collect Rare Coins For Fun and ProfitTime has... Read More

Investing and Understanding What You Buy

"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action!" Johann... Read More

Investing Offshore for Retirement

As an expatriate you are in a privileged savings and... Read More

Investigate Before You Invest

"Through wisdom is a house built. And by understanding it... Read More

POOF goes your RRIF !

Some time ago I attended a seminar where participants were... Read More

Advice for International Investors on How to Safeguard Their Profits

What are the risks?Today, investors are increasingly turning to global... Read More

Introduction To FOREX

The Foreign Exchange Market, better known as FOREX, is a... Read More

Now is the Time to Invest for Your Retirement!

Yes, it's the time we've all been waiting for?tax season!... Read More

Investing and the Fear of Regret and Greed

People tend to feel sorrow and grief after having made... Read More

Success Trading: More Basic Terminology for New Traders

One important aspect of trading the markets is to understand... Read More

Landlording 101, Tricks of The Trade

Looking Inside Your Tenant's Mind Basic Mind-Reading Report 101 for... Read More

When Its Too Late to Save for Retirement

You are 55 years old (or somewhere around there) and... Read More

Angels, Are They Real?

They're real, but few survive. High risk investing is dangerous... Read More

Brain Snappers and Other Wall Street Nonsense

The last time you spoke with your broker did he... Read More

How Eating Bitumen Made Me a Better Stock Trader

Stock market trading is a fascinating activity.There are so many... Read More

Which IRA Is Best For You?

An Ira is one of the greatest ways to save... Read More

Find a Methodology and Minimize Investment Madness

There are many reasons to be investing these days, and... Read More

How to Calculate the Value of Your U.S. Savings Bonds

If you're like many Americans over the age of 55,... Read More

When NOT to Invest

Unfortunately, many investors who are seduced by the lure of... Read More

Chinas Great Missed Opportunity

While a U.S. Representative to the Asian Development Bank Executive... Read More

Before You Start Investing

There maybe several reasons why you to want to invest... Read More

Investing for Retirement - Not an All or Nothing Play

In 1519, Hernando Cortes, beached on the shores of unexplored... Read More

CYA

You all know what CYA stands for. Of course, Cover... Read More

Just Say NO to Your Stock Broker

We have all heard that slogan that started back when... Read More

What Is A Fair Market Value, Really? If Youre Going To Trade, Be Sure Its Worth It!

I've been involved in online trading, specifically with stock and... Read More