Check your Credit Score
You may begin shopping for a home then apply for financing which is the wrong procedure. One should apply for financing first, see how much you can borrower based on your income, employment history and qualifying interest rate.
Your rate is often determined by the your credit score. So you want your score to be the highest it can be. you can monitor your scores or get simulated scores from lenders and brokers who have a special system to simulate scenarios if you pay off certain debt(s) , what will it be and it's good to know in case of accounts opened in your name that you are not aware of. .
There are various ways to improve your credit:
Keep Credit Balances low
Pay Down Large Balances
Monitor Reports for Fraud
Build your Credit with a few accounts
Repair Your Credit
Increase Your FICO Score