Need clarification on FICO

[Anonymous]

My FICO is around 740 I think.  Anyway, I am going to be applying for a mortgage in the next 6-12 months and I want the very best rate.  I got married 1 year ago.  She has a mortgage in her name but we will sell that of course.  Anyway, I am in position to pay off the last of my credit cards by July 15.  I can also pay off my car in the next 5 months but I do not want to hurt my credit score.  Here is what I think I should do:

Pay off my last credit card

Use 3-4 of them but pay them off at the end of each month so they remain active

Do not pay off my car but save that money and pay it off after I get the new mortgage

Do the same for her car/credit cards

Will the above keep the score from dropping and maybe even raise the scores since we will owe less credit card debt than we did in Dec when we ran our credit reports?

[Tuscani]

Carry a 1-9% util on each card. Carrying a small balance is better than PIF.

[MidnightVoice]

If you avoid negs and keep balances low, then you should be able to hit the best rate.

BUT - I have our house in joint names, hence they pull both our credit reports.  So I would check out your wife's as well.