How to fix your credit to buy a house, starting with your reports.

It is a review of your Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion reports against the application you are preparing for. It separates items that are inaccurate, outdated, or unverifiable, which can be disputed, from accurate items that have to be rebuilt around, and it sets the order of steps before you apply.

It depends on the file. Credit bureaus generally have 30 days to investigate each dispute, a file with several items often needs more than one round, and rebuilding payment history takes months. Start as early as you can, and if a lender has given you a deadline, say so on the call so the plan is built around it.

It depends on the loan program and the lender, not the price of the home. Equifax notes that most conventional mortgages generally need scores of 620 or above, FHA loans generally require 580 with a 3.5% down payment or 500 with 10% down, USDA loans need at least 640, and VA sets no official minimum although lenders do. Any lender can set a higher minimum, so ask yours which number applies to you.

Possibly, but options are narrow. FHA loans generally allow scores as low as 500 with a 10% down payment, or 580 with 3.5% down, and many lenders set higher minimums of their own. The first step is making sure the reports are accurate, then rebuilding payment history and balances before applying.

No. Checking your own reports is a soft inquiry and does not affect your credit scores. Applications to lenders can create hard inquiries, which is one reason to review the reports before applying rather than after.

Sometimes. When an item is inaccurate or cannot be verified, the bureau must correct or delete it after its investigation. Most accurate negative items can stay on a report for up to seven years. No one can promise which items will change or when.

The application you are preparing for and its timing, current reports from all three bureaus, any denial letter or reason a lender gave you, and letters from collectors or creditors. Keep Social Security numbers, passwords, and account logins out of forms and texts.

Yes, as a separate file with separate rules. Business credit reports are corrected through each business reporting agency's own process. If your credit goal connects to a business account, mention it on the call; it changes the order of steps.

No. Lenders make their own decisions, bureaus run their own investigations, and accurate information cannot be lawfully removed. Brillant Credit does not guarantee a credit score change, a deletion, an approval, an interest rate, or a timeline.