Home ownership is a part of achieving the American dream. For many, the only thing standing between them and owning a home is a low credit score. Lenders rely heavily on FICO Scores when determining whether to fund a mortgage — low credit scores equate to high risk. Still, it isn’t impossible to get a mortgage with a low credit score.

Having a low credit score can hurt you in a number of different ways. Here are some of the disadvantages of having a low credit score.

Home mortgage loans for people with poor credit are available at reasonable rates if you find the right lender. With some time spent online researching for low credit score lenders, you can base your financing decision on loan estimate numbers. Even with bad credit, you can find flexible terms, so you can find the right home loan for your budget.

The only thing worse than getting a nasty surprise is getting a nasty surprise about your finances. For instance, you check your credit score and discover it’s much lower than you anticipated. You wonder, “What went wrong?”