Most lenders stop at a 620 credit score. FHA's own guidelines go considerably lower than that. I'm an independent broker, which means I can work with the investors who lend to that guideline instead of the ones who don't.
FHA guidelines allow scores as low as 500. Most lenders stop at 620.
That gap between 500 and 620 isn't a rule — it's a business decision each lender makes on its own. It's called an overlay, and it's why the same borrower gets declined at one place and considered at another.
A lower score does mean a larger down payment and more documentation. I won't pretend otherwise. But declined and doesn't qualify anywhere are two very different things, and most people are never told which one they got.
See where you stand
About two minutes. No credit pull, no obligation.
Awards earned by Saxton Mortgage, the lender behind your file.
Every situation below is one I work with regularly. None of them is automatically a no.
FHA financing reaches lower than most banks will go. A larger down payment and fuller documentation are part of the trade, and I'll be straight with you about what your file needs.
Waiting periods are usually shorter than people assume, and they vary a lot by program — a discharged Chapter 13 can be treated very differently from a Chapter 7. Tell me your discharge date and I'll tell you your earliest realistic window.
Same principle: there's a seasoning period, it's finite, and it's often shorter than you were told. Knowing the date matters more than the event.
These don't automatically stop a file. What matters is the type, the age, and whether they need to be resolved before closing. That's a specific answer, not a general one.
If you served, this changes the math considerably — the VA sets no minimum credit score at all. Any number you've been quoted came from a lender, not the VA.
Then I'll say so, and I'll map out exactly what to address and in what order. That costs you nothing and there's no obligation attached to it. A lot of people come back in six months in much better shape.
Working with a broker doesn't mean working with a small shop. It means you get both.
Saxton Mortgage, LLC holds lending licenses in 38 states from Alaska to Wyoming under NMLS #1717191. That footprint is why the investor access behind your file is what it is.
Saxton is a Top 1% certified partner with United Wholesale Mortgage, the largest wholesale lender in the country — which affects pricing and turn times in ways a small independent shop cannot match.
I submit your file to multiple wholesale investors and bring the options back to you. A bank can only ever offer you the bank.
The institutional weight sits behind the loan. The relationship isn't outsourced — you work with me from the first call through closing, not a rotating queue.
Verify any of this yourself — I'd rather you checked than took my word for it.
As we were shopping around lenders, Mike was recommended by a realtor friend. We spoke to Mike and laid out our concerns and right away he made our worries feel at ease. All we did was ask if he could close on the date provided and he went to work. Mike definitely went above and beyond and he made sure to take care of his veterans. In the near future we would love to work with Mike again and would definitely recommend him to all our homebuyer friends.
Saxton Mortgage, LLC holds a 4.8-star average across 889 client reviews aggregated from Zillow and other sources. That rating reflects the company as a whole, across every loan officer.
Read them at Birdeye, see reviews specific to me on my Saxton profile, or look up NMLS #1666142 at nmlsconsumeraccess.org.
On most files the wholesale lender pays my compensation rather than you. On others it comes from loan proceeds at closing. Either way the exact figure appears in writing on your Loan Estimate before you're committed to anything, and I'm glad to walk through it line by line beforehand.
The questionnaire doesn't pull your credit — it uses your own estimate of your score. Nothing touches your credit report until you ask me to proceed and we both agree it's worth doing.
No. I'm a licensed mortgage originator, not a credit repair company. If credit work is what you need first, I'll tell you what to do and point you to legitimate free resources rather than sell you something.
No. The questionnaire uses your own estimate. Nothing touches your credit report until you ask me to proceed and we've agreed it's worth doing.
To begin, nothing beyond the questionnaire. To go further: typically two months of bank statements, recent pay stubs, two years of income documentation, and photo ID.
No — and anyone who does before reviewing your file is telling you something they aren't permitted to say. What I can commit to is a clear, honest answer quickly, so you can plan around it either way.
So there are no surprises later.
I work remotely with clients across the states I'm licensed in. My office of record is Saxton Mortgage in San Diego — which in practice means you reach me directly rather than whoever happens to be at a branch desk.
I'm licensed in AL, AZ, CT, FL, HI, MD, MI, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, UT and VA. Kentucky is the notable exception — if your home sits on the Kentucky side of the Fort Campbell line I'll tell you at the outset and refer you to someone licensed there, at no cost.
Below that figure, fixed origination costs take up too much of the benefit for it to be a fair deal for you.
If I'm not the right fit, I'd rather say so on the first call than three weeks in. That has cost me business occasionally. It's still the right way to do this.
About two minutes, no credit pull, and no obligation. You'll get a clear answer either way.
Check Your Eligibility Or call or text me directly at (619) 903-6659