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6 months might be a little ambitious if you're planning to go the conventional route. MInimum FHA score needed is 580. DTI needs to be.31/43 for FHA I believe. Not sure what your monthly debts are, what your FICO mortgage scores are, what price range of homes you are looking for, what your credit utilization is, when some of the negatives will fall of your report, etc (see this thread for how to help us help you. http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Mortgage-Loans/Do-I-qualify-for-a-mortgage-Info-that-is-needed/td-p/... I would start on some GW and PFD letters to take care of those collections. Not sure what the last 12 months of your credit history looks like either. Before getting too worked up over a mortgage in 6 months, start with the PFD/GW letters immediately. Just an opinion, but the easiest way to get the ball rolling is to focus on the things you can control such as utilization and on-time payments. They are the largest % of the credit scoring model. With that being said, credit repair can take a few months/years so your best bet is to get started as soon as you can. If you go the PFD route, make sure to get confirmations in writing also. Some CA can be shady and just take your money and update the collection to paid instead of removing it. I am no expert or lender or loan officer or mortgage broker, but I think it would be somewhat arduous to get a mortgage in 6 months without significant positive change in your credit profile. I recently worked on my wife's credit and raised her FICO 8 from the low 500s to near 700 since May. A lot of balls bounced my way and a lot of collections were removed. She had 7 (some open, some closed) when I started and now there's just 1 paid collection left and I'm fighting to get that removed. Nothing is impossible, just stay focused and remain vigiliant my friend.
Lenders want to see at least 12 months of positive payment history with minimum derogs on the credit reports ... on top of a mid score at 640 or higher. Lowers scores [high 500s for example] can be accomodated but the rest of your file need to be stronger to justify approving with lower scores.
To add to EZ's post, remember that the lender is looking at your mortgage scores and not your FICO 8 scores.
Some lenders will go to 620 mid score for an FHA loan but many do require 640 mid score. If you are 580 or above it is possible, but the down payment requirements are higher and the rates are higher too. Take the time to rebuild your credit. That means having enough postive tradelines reporting for at least 12 months as well as getting rid of the derogs (like the previous poster mentioned above). Spend time in the rebuilding forum, it is very helpful.