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The higher your credit score, the lower your interest rate and the less you need to put as a down payment.

Your credit is the most important criteria when determining your rate. You can save yourself thousands of dollars in interest if you can raise your score a few points. The difference in interest over 30 years between a loan at 5% and a loan at 6% is over $50,000!

Having the best credit you can have is essential when getting a mortgage.

Lately, the mortgage industry has turned to what are called credit scores. Your credit score is a number that tells the lender how risky you are as a borrower. The higher your credit score the lower your rate. If you have a credit score above 700 you can be assured you will get the best rates around. If you score is below 620 you might have to get a sub-prime loan which will cost you more. If your score is in the 600′s it really depends on the lender, so use a good mortgage broker that can shop your loan to several lenders.

You can easily improve your credit score. Here are some suggestions:

1. Do not apply for credit before you get your credit checked for your mortgage. Every time you check your credit, your score will go down.
2. Pay down your balances as much as possible. The more room you have on your credit cards and loans, the higher your score.
3. Check your credit yourself, and get any erroneous derogatory information removed. You can get a free copy of your credit report by going to annualcreditreport.com. Do not go to freecreditreport.com- they are nothing more then a scam.

To learn more about how to get your credit scores and improve them fast, visit CreditSparkle.com to get all the information. This site even has a short course on credit repair if you already know you have bad credit.

One more thing to keep in mind, many people think their credit is worse then it really is. Let your mortgage broker tell you how bad or good it is. You might be pleasantly surprised.

On the other hand, if you have not checked your credit report in a while, you might be in for a nasty shock. It is estimated that 80% of all reports contain inaccurate information. And most of the other 20% of reports that contain no errors have no credit either. So, if you actually have credit, your chances of having one or more errors on your report are much greater than 80%.

That is another reason to work with a mortgage broker who knows about credit. The right broker can help you get your credit fixed and then submit your loan to the lenders and thus save you a ton of money. If you went to the banks first, there is very little chance they would help you fix your credit.

Acquisition finance is called a “change of control” loan. This type of loan allows you to sell or acquire a business. What often happens with acquisition finance is you need to find a lender that is able to provide you with the funds you need even if the assets being purchased are worth more than the actual purchase price. This can be a challenge because some lenders may be worried about losing money while others see that a considerable amount of money will need to be written off to goodwill. Look for established lenders when you need acquisition finance as young lenders may not be making the money you need in order to develop the company.

Financing goodwill is hard because it is difficult to predict what the future profits of the business will be. Some lenders are okay with financing goodwill while others see this as a high risk and they aren’t going to touch it. When you deal with financing goodwill, you are going to need to raise the down payment or acquire the funds necessary from a vendor.

In order to acquire these funds, you need to have a good corporate credit rating along with a solid business plan. If you have all your information ready, it will be much easier to convince a lender why they need to offer you the financing you need.

What is the transition risk? This is a common concern for lenders as they need to see how the business has been run and how the new owners plan to run the business. Are there some key employees that plan to remain with the company and help it run successfully? Growth potential is the key to acquisition finance and it will make or break your deal with a lender.

The age of the company will also be considered. Is your business on the rise, is it mature, or are you in a declining market segment? Will a change in control lose customers and weaken the market segment of the business? Lenders need be certain that your cash flow will remain strong and intact so they can see that you will make the payments. Their other concern lies with the probability of resale for the business.

When dealing with acquisition finance, you must provide at least one thirds of the purchase price in cash. Then you need to provide a tangible net worth for the remaining value of the loan.