How to Get a Home Loan With Bad Credit

To easily snag a home loan, an applicant needs to be a "triple threat" -- have an excellent credit rating, a large down payment, and low debt-to-income ratio with steady significant income. But even if you have bad credit, you don't have to rule out future home ownership.

Homebuyers with bad credit due to a foreclosure or bankruptcy, or who have previously been turned down for a loan, can still get a home loan.

Melanye Miller, a 40-something Chicago schoolteacher, has been hankering for three years to move out of the single-family home she was renting, so that she could purchase a place big enough for her and her three children. But when her credit report revealed a poor score, she knew banks would not give her a home loan, especially not one with zero down payment.

To increase her chances of getting a home loan, Miller began a long road to recovery from her bad credit history, which included not using credit cards and setting aside money each month for her house fund. Finally, in November, after saving for almost two years, she purchased a four-bedroom condo. "I saved and saved, but I decided to purchase a foreclosure condo because it was less expensive and required fewer funds," she says. "Owning a home is not out of the question if you have bad credit. You just have to do your research, know what you can really afford, do even more research, and save your money."

There are hurdles, for sure. But for those with a less than stellar credit history, you need to highlight your "compensating factors" -- those mitigating factors not reflected in your bad credit score or on your credit report.