Your Payment History. Whether you paid credit card obligations on time

How Much You Owe. Owing a great deal of money on numerous accounts can indicate that you are overextended.

The Length of Your Credit History. In general the longer the better.

How Much New Credit You Have. New credit, either installment payments or new credit cards, are considered more risky, even if you pay promptly.

The Types of Credit You Use. Generally, it's desirable to have more than one type of credit—installment loans, credit cards, and a mortgage, for example.

1. Check for and correct errors in your credit report. Mistakes happen, and you could be paying for someone else’s poor financial management.

2. Pay down credit card bills. If possible, pay off the entire balance every month. However, transferring credit card debt from one card to another could lower your score.

3. Don’t charge your credit cards to the maximum limit.

4. Wait 12 months after credit difficulties to apply for a mortgage. You’re penalized less for problems after a year.

5. Don’t order items for your new home you’ll buy on credit—such as appliances—until after the loan is approved. The amounts will add to your debt.

6. Don’t open new credit card accounts before applying for a mortgage. Having too much available credit can lower your score.

7. Shop for mortgage rates all at once. Too many credit applications can lower your score, but multiple inquiries from the same type of lender are counted as one inquiry if submitted over a short period of time.

8. Avoid finance companies. Even if you pay the loan on time, the interest is high and it will probably be considered a sign of poor credit management.