When you’re looking to refinance a home mortgage, perhaps the most important piece of information that your lender considers is your credit score. Here are some proven ways to boost that precious three-digit number.

Lenders like to portray themselves as warm and fuzzy people when it comes to helping their customers. But with a mortgage refinance, a lender’s decision to grant a loan is a numbers game, based specifically on a three-digit piece of information called your credit score. Here are five tactics that will help you boost your score and improve your chances of qualifying for the loan you want.

1. Know your limits

If you carry balances on your credit cards, make sure that they’re at least 30 percent below your credit limit. This can help raise your credit score. Review all your credit cards and make sure that you’re not maxed out on any of them. However, if you’re more concerned with saving money than boosting your score, it’s wise to pay off the card with the highest interest rate.

2. Be sure the bureaus know your limits

Be sure that the three credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—are also aware of your current credit limits. Many credit card companies fail to report credit limit increases to the bureaus. As a result, the balance you maintain may look like it’s nudging up against the old limit that the bureau has on record, which can hurt your credit score

3. Oldies can be goodies

The old dusty credit cards that you seldom pull out of your wallet can be of great use to you. Every now and then, use them for a purchase. Older credit cards improve your credit report.

4. Remove past blights

Perhaps you’ve had some miscues in the past, such as a late payment. Your credit card company may agree to remove them from the report if you’ve had a solid history with them since the incident. Also, if you’ve recently had a late payment and it’s your first with the company, ask them to remove it. They may allow your initial mistake to be counted only as a slap on the wrist.

5. Object to old reports

Another tactic is to complain to the credit bureau that old late payments on your report are mistakes or not yours at all. If the incidents have occurred far enough in the past, the collection agencies might not bother investigating them. They may choose to wipe them clean without an inquiry. This tactic works best if your current credit score is stellar.

By using these tactics, you can remove some of the credit miscues and maxed out balances that could be affecting your score. Every little bit helps, especially when it comes time to refinance a loan. Use these tips and keep your current record clean – it’s the only way to ensure that the days of low scores are numbered.

Stay current with the credit bureaus—it pays to know the score.

Additional Refinancing Resources

- Homebuying: Refinance Your Home [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development]

- Mortgage Refinancing Rates and Information [MortgageLoan]