What's a good rate for you? Update your credit score to find out
I’m looking for a primary, single-family home in for , and credit score.
Insights
Negotiate everything—rates, fees, and terms are not set in stone.
George Robinson TrueRate Data ScientistLenders with low rates
TrueRate analyzed the rates lenders actually gave to buyers for the last three years and found only a few lenders likely to get you a good deal.
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Insights
Negotiate everything—rates, fees, and terms are not set in stone.
George Robinson TrueRate Data ScientistLenders likely to have high rates
We don’t accept advertising, so you can get the real lender story. TrueRate looked at 60 lenders and found that these lenders are likely to offer you a high rate.
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Insights
Whether a lender has high margins or is simply inefficient and passing their costs on to you, the result is the same—you’ll likely end up paying more for your home. Our data shows that if you choose these lenders you will likely regret it.
George Robinson TrueRate Data ScientistLenders with average rates
You deserve better than what these lenders historically provide.
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Insights
Insights by James McTernan Tomo Mortgage Loan Advisor - NMLS #337556TrueRate report
Buying a home shouldn’t feel impossible—see what’s driving buyer stress in 2025.
What is TrueRate by Tomo Mortgage?
TrueRate is a tool for homebuyers, created by Tomo Mortgage. It uses AI and analytical models to show you what a fair mortgage rate really looks like—your “true rate”—based on your unique financial situation and real market conditions. It strips out all the bait-and-switch pricing you see all over the internet, such as rates advertised with big point fees hiding in the fine print.
Instead of giving you a one-size-fits-all estimate, TrueRate calculates what rate you should be looking for that day, using the same kinds of data that lenders themselves rely on to provide their own rate information. We’re just making it all public for the first time. You’ll be able to see whether an interest rate offered by a bank, credit union, or mortgage company is low, average, or too high—before you agree to anything.
We believe in transparency. Here’s how we crunched the numbers.
How credit scores impact mortgage rates
Your credit score plays a huge role in the mortgage process. It helps lenders—and the government organizations that oversee these lenders—determine how likely it is that you’ll repay your mortgage.
Your credit score is a three-digit number, usually between 300 (i.e., you have “bad credit”) and 850 (i.e., you have “excellent credit”). The average credit score for a new home buyer is about 720. There’s a number of different credit agencies that calculate your score (they all have different methods), but your number is based on your credit history. This includes:
- Payment history (on-time or late payments)
- Total debt and credit utilization
- Length of credit history
- Types of credit accounts (credit cards, loans, etc.)
- New credit inquiries
If you have a long history of managing other kinds of credit or debt effectively (your credit cards or car loans, for example), you’re more likely (statistically) to pay your mortgage. So, you’ll have a higher credit score, and that higher score can result in a lower mortgage interest rate.
Here’s what you need to know about credit scores, how they’re used in mortgage lending, and what score ranges actually mean.
Frequently asked questions
Your credit score is only one factor among many that lenders use to determine the interest rate they’ll offer. It’s not everything. But it does have a fairly significant impact on your interest rate.
Here’s an example from June 2025. Using TrueRate data on 30-year fixed rate mortgages, we held the home price, location, and down payment consistent, but adjusted the credit score to see how much of an impact it had on good interest rates.
| Credit score | Good interest rate range | Bad interest rate range | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 580 - 619 (low credit) | 580 - 619 (low credit) | More than 6.92% | More than 7.54% |
| 620-639 (fair credit) | 620-639 (fair credit) | 6.92% - 7.25% | 7.54% - 7.74% |
| 640-659 | 640-659 | 6.88% - 7.23% | 7.47% - 7.67% |
| 660-679 | 660-679 | 6.85% - 7.15% | 7.39% - 7.57% |
| 680-699 | 680-699 | 6.82% - 7.07% | 7.33% - 7.50% |
| 700-719 (good credit) | 700-719 (good credit) | 6.78% - 7.0% | 7.28% - 7.45% |
| 720-739 | 720-739 | 6.72% - 6.94% | 7.21% - 7.37% |
| 740-759 (very good credit) | 740-759 (very good credit) | 6.68% - 6.88% | 7.12% - 7.27% |
| 760-779 | 760-779 | 6.62% - 6.83% | 7.05% - 7.20% |
| 780+ (excellent credit) | 780+ (excellent credit) | 6.6% - 6.79% | 7.00% - 7.15% |
As you can see, a better credit score can improve the interest rate range, but it’s not a transformative difference. Once you’re within the qualifying credit range for a conventional mortgage, choosing the right lender can be far more valuable than trying to boost your credit score slightly. For example, in the same scenario above, someone with excellent credit could go to an overpriced lender and get a 7.15% interest rate. Someone with lower credit (620), could go to a good priced lender and actually get a better interest rate (6.92%).
Also note that once you’re in the “very good” credit range (typically 780+), you won’t necessarily get a better mortgage rate if you had a score of 800.
FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation) is the most widely used credit scoring system in the mortgage industry. While there are other models (like VantageScore), FICO Scores are the gold standard for mortgage lenders.
There are actually multiple versions of FICO, but most lenders use either FICO Score 2, 4, or 5, depending on the credit bureau (Experian, TransUnion, or Equifax).
When you apply for a mortgage, lenders often pull a “tri-merge” credit report with all three scores—and typically use the middle score to make their decision.
Tip: Most conventional loans require a minimum score of 620. FHA loans can go as low as 580 (or 500 with a larger down payment), but come with added fees.
Yes, you can do things right away to improve your credit score—and it’s often worth it. Steps like:
- Paying down credit card balances
- Making on-time payments
- Disputing credit report errors
- Avoiding new hard inquiries
Even a 20–40 point increase can get you into a better pricing tier. You can also explore programs like HomeReady or Home Possible, which may be more flexible for buyers with moderate credit scores.