I know, I know: You’re a loan officer, not a financial advisor. But maybe, just maybe, you’re actually both.

Consider prospective first-time homebuyers. They want to buy a house, and you want to help them secure financing in a responsible fashion. You know what it takes to get that done in today’s market — but do they?

You are in the perfect position to educate first-time homebuyers on how financial stability will help them achieve sustainable, successful homeownership. Start by taking off your loan officer hat and offering them sound advice about what they need to do to prepare before buying a home.

1. Learn about credit

Encourage first-time homebuyers to get a free copy of their credit report from each of the three major credit agencies once a year. If they discover an error on any of the reports, they should submit a request with the appropriate credit bureau to have the error removed. Their credit report will give them a better understanding of where they fall on the credit spectrum, and you can explain what that means for their financing costs.

If their credit scores come in lower than anticipated, you can suggest ways to improve them, which could potentially reduce borrowing costs.

Also consider educating borrowers on their credit utilization ratio. A high utilization ratio may adversely affect their credit score. Keeping their per-card and overall credit utilization ratio below 30% is important to achieving and maintaining a good credit score and will better prepare them for applying for a mortgage.

This infographic can help you explain credit basics to your borrowers.

2. Identify financial problem areas

While student loan debt certainly gets a lot of press, often it’s actually credit card debt that can have a more harmful effect on borrowers’ financial stability by inflating their debt-to-income ratio (DTI). The best solution is to pay down outstanding credit card balances. The National Foundation for Credit Counseling recommends credit card debt payments be kept to within 20% of monthly income.

If your borrowers can’t meaningfully reduce the amount they owe, they may still be able to reduce their monthly payment by asking their credit card companies for a lower interest rate. Oftentimes, if a cardholder has consistently paid on time for an extended period of time, a credit card company will reduce the interest rate on the card at the cardholder’s request.

3. Prioritize debt payoff

If paying down debt is an option, help your borrowers understand which debts to pay first. As you know, not all debt is created equal. Mortgage loan debt and student loan debt are generally considered “good debt” since they position individuals to increase their future net worth. However, since payments toward good debt will also factor in your borrowers’ DTI, there is the concept of too much of a good thing.

Take time to suggest they evaluate all of the debt they hold and the various interest rates on that debt. Typically, they should pay down debt with the highest interest rates (typically unsecured credit cards) first. If they have student loan debt and auto loan debt, suggest they give priority to paying down the auto loan, regardless of the interest rate, because auto loans are generally not viewed as good debt.

“Helping borrowers achieve financial stability is also about helping them set manageable goals, stay positive and understand the big picture.”

4. Find ways to cut back

One of the simplest ways for borrowers to build financial stability is to identify how they can cut back on expenses, such as eliminating a couple of stops at the coffee shop each week, bringing lunch to work or limiting personal travel. Suggest that they add money they find through expense cutbacks directly to their savings account or use it to pay down debt. Another tip would be to suggest they put at least some of their monthly income into a savings or retirement account each month. Your goal as a trusted loan officer should be to suggest best practices that will help potential borrowers reduce debt while growing their savings.

5. Set goals – Change their mindset

Helping borrowers achieve financial stability is also about helping them set manageable goals, stay positive and understand the big picture. If their goal is to secure a mortgage, work with them to set a timeline and provide tips and insight for reaching that goal. Often, financial stability comes through paying off debt. If this is the case for your borrowers, suggest they reward themselves in some small way each time they pay off one of their debts.

In a perfect world, every borrower who comes through your doors would be financially prepared to buy a home. In the real world, that isn’t always the case. Taking time up front to discuss financial stability with potential borrowers will save you time and your customers the frustration of having a loan application turned down.

Looking for more resources to help educate your borrowers? Share content from Readynest, MGIC's homebuyer education site.

The opinions and insights expressed in this blog are solely those of its author, Craig Lonsinger, and do not necessarily represent the views of either Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation or any of its parent, affiliates, or subsidiaries (collectively, “MGIC”). Neither MGIC nor any of its officers, directors, employees or agents makes any representations or warranties of any kind regarding the soundness, reliability, accuracy or completeness of any opinion, insight, recommendation, data, or other information contained in this blog, or its suitability for any intended purpose.