Your best bet is to find out what the lender requires, credit guideline wise, then pull your own credit report at least 3 months before making any major purchase. That should give you sufficient time to catch and correct any errors, plus make any adjustments your lender would find favorable.

Here’s what I’ve told them:

First, if you do not have credit, lenders and banks may look to other factors that can help them decide if you are a credit risk or not. So you want to be sure that your are managing your day-do-day finance related activities in a way that can help you get their attention:

Like opening a checking and savings account at a major bank. When you have active bank accounts in good standing, you are creating a history of being able to manage money. I advise starting with a major bank for two reasons: 1) After establishing a relationship with the bank, you will want to apply for a credit card or small installment loan. Major banks are more apt to offer special programs for consumers who are trying to establish or rebuild credit; and 2) Major banks report to all three credit bureaus usually every 30 days, which is what you will need to establish credit quickly.

And then, paying your rent and utilities on time. If you do not have established credit, you are not completely out of luck. Some lenders will pull a report that will show them whether or not consumers pay their rent and utility bills on time. If they like what they see, they may approve you for credit. That is why it is extremely important to pay these day-to-day living expenses on time.