How To Fix Your Credit

By Monica B. Nice


If your credit situation is less than ideal and you are trying to buy a home, you probably are interested in repairing your credit fast. While there are certainly things that you can do to quickly improve your credit situation, it is important that you have realistic expectations. If you have had a recent foreclosure or bankruptcy, it simply is not going to be possible to repair your credit quickly. However, if most of your recent bills have been paid on time and your problems are a bit older, there is quite a bit that you can do to improve your overall credit situation.

The bureaus won't provide your score for free (you have to pay them for that), but it is still important to see what information they have about your past credit transactions. That way, if something is wrong, you can correct it.After all, if you paid a bill on time -- but it was reported by a collection's agency as not paid -- you're going to want that false information removed.Make sure you have a credit card.There are two types of credit that are reported to the credit bureaus -- revolving and installment credit.Installment credit is bills that you pay a certain amount towards each month -- like your car payments, mortgage payments, student loans, etc.

Once you have the results of your disputes, you will want to move on to the next step for any accounts that were not successfully removed from your credit report. Depending on who is currently servicing the accounts, you will want to go through the 623 method or the debt validation method. In both of these strategies, you are dealing directly with the account holder and requiring them to prove to you specific information regarding your account. If they cannot do this, they are not legally allowed to report to the credit bureaus.

Keep your credit card balance low.Credit bureaus like to see a large gap between your credit card's maximum limit and your current balance. Typically, credit experts will tell you to try and keep your balance at no more than 30% of the card's maximum limit.That shows that you have credit, use it, and pay it off, instead of the alternative -- that you are behind in payments or maxing out cards.Even if you pay off your balance in full each month it's a good idea to keep charge amounts low because the total balance of the card is reported to the credit bureaus each month.

Next, be aware of your financial limitations and do your best to pay your creditors on time. While following the first two steps in this article, it is imperative that you continue to pay your debts in a timely manner to fix your credit report. If you have had trouble paying your bills on time in the past, consider using a dedicated calendar in your home just for paying bills. In addition to using a calendar to track your due dates and payments, you should also consider using any of the free automatic bill pay options that many creditors offer. Having your payments made automatically for you is a great way to ensure that you are paying your bills on time every month.

By charging to both cards -- and paying off both cards -- it shows credit bureaus that you have two accounts to which you are making on-time payments.You are looking for ways to fix your credit. The number one thing to do is to be sure that your monthly bills are paid in full by the due date. If you need assistance remembering when to remit payments, you can set up some sort of payment reminder. You can find various methods that will assist you in doing so. With the information age upon us, the possibilities are endless. There are many computer programs available to help with reminders, and now since phones have become mini computers, you can set up payment reminders on your phone. Which ever way works best for you.

Making timely bill payments is a sure fire way to boost your credit score, and in addition will cause your credit history to be cleaner and more attractive to lenders. But say you can only make the minimum payments? That is fine for starters, paying anything at all is better than no payment whatsoever. Your credit will be very adversely affected by a single late or missed repayment.A big thing to steer very clear of, or at least be very cautious of, is attorneys that will claim they can fix your credit almost instantaneously. With the sagging economy, more and more people are experiencing credit problems. And naturally there are always people that will take advantage of this situation to line their own pockets. Beware of scams, attorneys that charge huge sums to basically do nothing. Always, always, always check out a service before you commit to their services.

Another thing to look for are accounts that you have already paid down, but which companies have failed to clear up. If you find errors like these you will need to contact businesses individually to request corrections. This can take time to accomplish, however, it is one of the surest ways to kick a score up quite a bit.

It is probably pretty obvious that you will need to pay down open accounts if you want to enhance your score. Businesses will be reticent to offer you new financing if you have any existing amount of debt that seems overwhelming. Once you have less on your plate, however, you may be able to start qualifying for some of the loans that you really want.

It's never a bad idea to include one copy of your credit report, using a highlighter pen to make items in question stand out. Add notes in the margins. Send your letter by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you can document what the CRA received. Remember to keep a copy of your dispute letter and all related enclosures. Keep them in an oversized envelope, with the date you mailed them written on the outside of the envelope. This will help you track progress.Improving your credit score is worth the effort, because a higher credit score will help you qualify for better terms on a home or car loan, and it will also help you keep car insurance premiums in check, and may actually help you get hired for a new job.




About the Author:



Aucun commentaire:

Enregistrer un commentaire