Strategic Advantage · Working With Our Team
More Buyers Qualify Than They Realize
In September 2026, VantageScore 4.0 became available to every Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac approved lender. It counts rent, utility, and telecom payments. It ignores paid collections and medical collection debt. And it can be the difference between a buyer who gets a mortgage and a buyer who never tries. That is a real advantage for buyers and sellers working with Elevate Group.
What Just Changed in Mortgage Credit Scoring
For years, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac accepted only the classic FICO credit models. That two-model era is ending, and the change arrived in waves through 2025 and 2026. The headline for buyers is simple: a lender may now evaluate your file with a model that sees more of your real payment behavior.
VantageScore 4.0 is live at the agencies
The Federal Housing Finance Agency opened VantageScore 4.0 to every Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac approved lender in September 2026, with no prior written approval required. Lenders can now choose to run it alongside the classic FICO models.
Rent, utilities, and telecom can now count
VantageScore 4.0 was the first major model to incorporate on-time rent payments, utility payments, and telecom and subscription payments. For a renter with a thin credit file, that history is real evidence of financial responsibility.
Paid collections and medical debt are ignored
The model does not use paid collections or medical collection debt against the borrower. An old medical bill or a paid-off collection no longer has to define a buyer's file.
More consumers become scorable
VantageScore reports that its models can assess roughly 33 million more consumers than other commercially available models, many of them first-time buyers and renters who pay on time but have thin credit histories.
For Buyers
Do Not Disqualify Yourself Early
The number in your banking app is one model, and often not the model a mortgage lender will run. The buyers who miss out are frequently the ones who assumed the answer was no without ever asking the question.
Start with a qualification conversation, not a home search
The most expensive mistake in real estate is falling for a property before you know your financing. Our buying process begins with a real mortgage conversation, so you search with clarity instead of hope.
Work with lenders who use the current models
VantageScore 4.0 use is lender choice. We connect buyers with local lenders who work with the models available today, including models that count rent, utility, and telecom payment history.
Bring the file that tells your real story
On-time rent, utility, and telecom payments can all support your file. Two years of income records, bank statements, and rent history give an underwriter the full picture a score alone cannot.
Ask the right questions up front
Ask your lender which scoring models they run, how rent history is treated, and how medical debt and paid collections are handled. A straight answer protects you from a surprise at the finish line.
For Sellers
A Bigger Pool of Qualified Buyers
Every change that qualifies more buyers expands the demand side of the market. For a lake listing, that matters: the buyers most likely to pay for waterfront are often relocation, second-home, and retirement buyers whose files look different under the new models.
More real, closable demand for your listing
A buyer who can qualify at the lender's desk is a buyer who can close. Broader qualification brings more of those buyers into the market for your property type and price range.
Marketing aimed at the buyers who can actually act
Our seller marketing reaches Twin Cities, relocation, and second-home buyers, the groups most likely to benefit from the new scoring models, and positions your property to the demand that exists now.
Serious buyers move faster
The most serious buyers arrive with a real preapproval and a lender who already knows their file. Pre-qualified demand compresses the time between listing and offer.
Honest pricing still decides the outcome
A wider buyer pool does not replace accurate pricing. The right price attracts the right buyers in the critical first weeks, and a qualified buyer who can close makes that first offer count.
The Elevate Group Advantage
Credit scoring is one of the most misunderstood parts of buying a home, and it is exactly where a well-prepared team earns its keep. Understanding how the new models work is part of our standard approach, not a specialized add-on.
Qualification Comes First
Every buying plan starts with a real mortgage conversation before we show a single property. You search knowing what you can do, not hoping.
Lenders Who Use Current Models
We work with local lenders who understand VantageScore 4.0 and the classic FICO models and can tell you which applies to your file.
Rent and Utility History Valued
If you are a renter with a thin file, we make sure the story that proves you pay on time gets told to the people who underwrite the loan.
No Surprises at the Finish Line
Addressing scoring, medical debt, and collections early means the lender's decision does not arrive as a shock after you are under contract.
Honest About the Limits
We are real estate agents, not lenders or credit counselors. We will never promise a specific loan, sell credit repair, or guarantee a rate. We connect you with the people who can give you real answers.
A Seller Edge Too
For sellers, broader qualification means a deeper buyer pool, and our marketing is aimed at the qualified, closable demand for lake property.
The Questions Buyers and Sellers Ask
What is VantageScore 4.0?
It is a credit scoring model developed by the three national credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. It reports on the familiar 300 to 850 scale, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac approved lenders can now use it for mortgage qualification.
Does paying rent count toward a mortgage qualification?
Under VantageScore 4.0, on-time rent, utility, and telecom payments can be part of the picture, which is especially important for first-time buyers and renters with thin credit files. Ask your lender how they treat verified rent history.
If I have medical debt or paid collections, can I still qualify?
VantageScore 4.0 does not use paid collections or medical collection debt against the borrower. An old medical bill does not have to define your file, but the lender's full underwriting still weighs the complete picture.
Should I trust the credit score in my banking app?
Useful for a general picture, but not the final word. Free apps usually show one model, and a mortgage lender may run a different one, including VantageScore 4.0, which counts payments an older app-based model ignores.
How do I know if my lender uses VantageScore 4.0?
Ask directly. VantageScore 4.0 use is lender choice, so the answer varies by institution. We are happy to put you in touch with local lenders who work with the models available today.
Does this change how lake homes are financed?
The mechanics of financing lake property, including seasonal cabins, shoreland rules, and lender inspection requirements, are unchanged. What changes is who can qualify, and that expands the pool of buyers for lake listings across the Brainerd Lakes Area.
Have a specific question about your situation? We are glad to talk through it, and to connect you with a local lender who can give you a real answer.
Know Where You Stand
Before You Search
Tell us where you are in the process and we will help you plan the right next step: a mortgage conversation, a lake-by-lake search strategy, or an honest look at what your property is worth. No pressure, no credit checks by us, just a clear plan.