<prompt> Human: As the title suggests, I personally find this to be a little suspicious. Ive always been told my whole life that a good credit score determines the eligibility and interest rate of a home mortgage. So, reddit, my question is this: is it really possible to get a 15-year mortgage without credit, or should I be using credit cards to build up my credit score to obtain one that way? Im 19 if that helps. I know that credit cards are like playing with fire, and I dont want to get burned.  <response>: A couple of things:Underwriting is the process of risk analysis for mortgage companies. A lot of companies just use FHA underwriting guidelines, because Fannie Mae comes in and buys a lot of banks mortgages right after they approve them. FHA guidelines have changed since TARP, and right now if you use a bank which uses these guidelines Most banks, you HAVE to be within the guidelines. This includes 2 years of stable full time employment, and a down payment-to-credit score sliding scale that is already pre-written. Its a LOT tougher to get a mortgage than it was when Dave Ramsey wrote the Total Money Makeover, which I believe is the book youre reading right? Today, anywhere, its VERY tough to get a mortgage with zero credit, almost harder than with low credit.However, all hope is not lost: There ARE banks who use their own underwriting, and you might be able to qualify for portfolio loans. A warning, though: Most banks who do these portfolio loans and dont sell to Fannie Mae, they dont offer fixed mortgages, mostly 5-7 year ARMs. You should get a credit card and build your credit if you want to get a mortgage in the near future, its much easier. If you REALLY want to do it the Dave Ramsey way, just save up until you can buy with cash-- its CRAZY easier to pay for a house with cash. 