Buying a home with a partner who has a credit score below 640 increases monthly housing costs by an average of $437, according to a recently released Mortgage Research Network study.

That increase, nearly $63,000 over the typical 12-year homeownership period, is driven by higher interest rates, steeper mortgage insurance premiums and more expensive homeowners insurance associated with lower credit scores. The report also finds that it can lead to high mortgage insurance and homeowners insurance premiums for homeowners. 

“Research has long shown that couples with similar and higher credit scores are more likely to stay together, but our study highlights another important reason to pay attention to credit before tying the knot,” said Tim Lucas, the report’s author and lead analyst at Mortgage Research Network. “Beyond relationship stability, a partner’s low credit score can significantly increase the cost of buying a home, most people’s biggest investment, by thousands of dollars over time. Understanding these financial impacts early can help couples make smarter decisions together.”

The study’s recommended solutions to buying with a partner who has a low credit score include pursuing FHA loans (which can be more credit-flexible and offering lower mortgage rates/mortgage insurance costs for lower-credit borrowers), VA and USDA loans that provide 0% down options and later refinancing once a credit score improves.

Regional breakdown 

The study analyzed monthly homeownership expenses in the 50 largest U.S. cities. The study compared scenarios where one partner had excellent credit and the other did not, factoring in local home prices, mortgage rates, PMI costs and insurance premiums. 

The extracted data reveals that, across the 50 metro areas studied, monthly housing costs rose 14.4% when a partner with a lower credit score was added to the mortgage loan. How much more homeowners will pay based on their partner’s low credit score varies based on region.

Percentage wise, the metro areas where a house payment increases the most if a partner has a low credit score are:

1. Memphis, Tennessee (30.2%)
2. Detroit, Michigan (29.9%)
3. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (24.1%)
4. Kansas City, Missouri (20.4%)
5. Indianapolis, Indiana (19.2%)

Metro areas that saw the highest cash increases are ones that have the highest prices to begin with. For instance, home prices in San Jose, California experience the highest cash increase ($1049) in home price based on a partner with a low credit score.

However, the starting price in San Jose is $11,092, which then increases to $12,141, or only a 9.5% increase.  Similarly, the price increase in San Francisco, California is $$9,807 to $10,733—$926—or 9.5%. 

For more information, see the full report here.

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