Little known fact: Every consumer in the U.S. is entitled to one free credit report every year from each of the big three credit bureaus:

Equifax

Experian

TransUnion

 It's important to check all three annually for accuracy and errors. When it comes to your credit, what you don't know can hurt you. It's happened to me! I don't want it to happen to you. Checking your own reports once a year DOES NOT hurt your score. If you're serious about purchasing a home, I strongly recommend that you first find and correct any mistakes before you even step into a bank.

The official site sponsored by the 'big three' listed above is www.annualcreditreport.com. Or, call 877-322-8228.

Please note that you won’t find your FICO score in any of these reports. Those are available, for a fee, from the bureaus.