I've made consistent payments to my college loan for 3 years, but will this debt help or hurt me in getting a loan?

Making payments on time regardless of who the debt is owed to is always a good thing, and will not adversely effect your credit.. .. I'm a Broker here in Scottsdale AZ and I only lend in Arizona. If you or someone you know is looking for financing options, feel free to contact me or pass along my information. 480-287-5714 WilliamAcres.com

This is actually helping you. It sounds to me you have what we call a good seasoned tradeline. It does get counted in your overall debt ratio calculations for loan qualification but it looks good that you have made these payments on time for 3 years. Hopefully the balance owed vs. original balance reporting is near or around 40%

so long as you can cover the payments and afford the new house debt you will be fine.

Payment history affects your credit, regardless of the type of loan or credit card - as long as it is reported to the credit bureau. The stronger your credit the easier it is to be approved for a mortgage, and the lower the interest rate will be. Strong credit also makes it easier to be approved with a high DTI, I can go as high as 55% in some cases depending on the type of mortgage.