Credit Repair Advice: How To Get Better Your Credit Score

Our credit scores determine much about how we live our lives. We buy practically everything on credit. When applying for a loan, our good credit scores help us receive reasonable interest rates. In fact, from landlords, to insurance companies, to utilities, everyone looks at our credit scores, as they are a reflection of our financial health. A healthy credit score may determine what various agencies will charge for their services. Today, even employers check personal credit scores before offering a job.

Knowing more about our credit scores and the factors affecting them may help us build a positive credit history. But first, let’s look at how they are maintained by the various credit reporting agencies.

Three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – calculate credit scores. Though they use the same methods and formula to calculate scores, they sometimes come up with a different rating for various reasons. One agency may have more updated information about an individual. A creditor may have shared information with one agency only, but not with the others. Creditors, while checking on our scores, take the average of the three scores from these three agencies.

Credit scores range between 300 and 850. A score of 680 and above is excellent for obtaining mortgage financing at low interest rates. A credit score of 621 to 679 is an average score and you would have to pay a slightly higher rate of interest. A credit score of below 600 makes us potentially unreliable and harder to obtain credit. When a credit score falls below 600, credit repair steps should be taken immediately.

The following are factors affecting credit scores and basic steps to take to maintain an accurate credit score rating with the credit bureaus:

1. Routinely check payment history and the current credit debt held.

2. Credit history length is a determining score factor. Naturally, the longer a ‘good’ credit history, the better.

3. Do not close old or paid off accounts. These show the credit history length and contribute to higher credit scores.

4. Pay off debts to improve credit scores.

5. On-time payments. Delayed payments appear on credit reports and adversely affect it.

6. An individual’s race, sex, age, level of education, or marital status has no bearing on a credit score, nor does the fact that an application for credit was previously turned down.

Taking care to maintain a high credit rating enables us to receive credit and loans at good rates. Our credit score is a reflection of how we manage our finances and a determining factor for many aspects of our lives. Knowing early on how to have a healthy credit history is the best way to avoid bad credit and limited loan options in the future.

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Credit Repair Advice: How to Improve Your Credit Score

Our credit scores determine much about how we live our lives. We buy practically everything on credit. When applying for a loan, our good credit scores help us receive reasonable interest rates. In fact, from landlords, to insurance companies, to utilities, everyone looks at our credit scores, as they are a reflection of our financial health. A healthy credit score may determine what various agencies will charge for their services. Today, even employers check personal credit scores before offering a job.

Knowing more about our credit scores and the factors affecting them may help us build a positive credit history. But first, let’s look at how they are maintained by the various credit reporting agencies.

Three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – calculate credit scores. Though they use the same methods and formula to calculate scores, they sometimes come up with a different rating for various reasons. One agency may have more updated information about an individual. A creditor may have shared information with one agency only, but not with the others. Creditors, while checking on our scores, take the average of the three scores from these three agencies.

Credit scores range between 300 and 850. A score of 680 and above is excellent for obtaining mortgage financing at low interest rates. A credit score of 621 to 679 is an average score and you would have to pay a slightly higher rate of interest. A credit score of below 600 makes us potentially unreliable and harder to obtain credit. When a credit score falls below 600, credit repair steps should be taken immediately.

The following are factors affecting credit scores and basic steps to take to maintain an accurate credit score rating with the credit bureaus:

1. Routinely check payment history and the current credit debt held.

2. Credit history length is a determining score factor. Naturally, the longer a ‘good’ credit history, the better.

3. Do not close old or paid off accounts. These show the credit history length and contribute to higher credit scores.

4. Pay off debts to improve credit scores.

5. On-time payments. Delayed payments appear on credit reports and adversely affect it.

6. An individual’s race, sex, age, level of education, or marital status has no bearing on a credit score, nor does the fact that an application for credit was previously turned down.

Taking care to maintain a high credit rating enables us to receive credit and loans at good rates. Our credit score is a reflection of how we manage our finances and a determining factor for many aspects of our lives. Knowing early on how to have a healthy credit history is the best way to avoid bad credit and limited loan options in the future.

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Credit Repair in Today’s Economy

Credit Repair, Now is the Time

Credit repair is more important than ever. Creditors have tightened their guidelines, effectively barring millions of Americans from borrowing money. Mortgage lenders, auto finance companies, and credit card issuers have all raised the bar. Borrowers with lower credit scores can expect to be denied, or to pay significantly higher interest rates than borrowers with good credit. If you have credit issues you cannot afford to ignore the potential benefits of credit repair.

Credit Report Errors are Common

To understand the potential of credit repair it is essential to grasp the extent of the inaccuracies built into the credit reporting system. Over three-quarters of all credit reports have errors. The three major credit bureaus would love you to believe that correcting these errors requires nothing more than a click of the button on their websites. This is far from the truth.

The Cost of Credit Reporting Errors

Wouldn’t it be great if credit reports were accurate? After all, your credit score may be the most important number in your life, and will certainly determine the interest rate you pay on your loans. Your interest rate will determine your payment, and a higher payment means a tighter budget. In short, credit reporting errors put a dent in the quality of your life and cannot be ignored.

Look Out For Yourself

A close read of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the legislation that governs the behavior of the credit bureaus reveals a disturbing reality. Although the FCRA requires the credit bureaus to comply with consumer credit repair disputes, it only requires compliance to the extent that corrective measures do not cause financial strain on the credit bureaus. In other words, accuracy is desired, but only in as much as a subjective measure of reasonableness allows.

The Professional Edge

Credit repair could easily become a budget-buster at the credit bureaus. It is in the best interest of the credit bureaus to perpetuate the damaging mythology that credit repair professionals can do nothing more for you than you can do for yourself. Customers of professional credit repair services have long known that credit repair involves far more than disputing obvious errors. A credit repair expert will typically identify twice the number of problems as an untrained consumer. This can mean a major difference in your credit scores.

Professional Credit Repair Qualifications

Professional credit repair involves in-depth knowledge of the FCRA, including reporting period limits, dispute procedures, and the specific obligations of the credit bureaus. A credit repair professional must also have a practical understanding of the FICO credit scoring model, an intimate grasp of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act and individual state specific statutes of limitation for different debt types. Knowledge makes all of the difference in the results. And when it comes to your credit you cannot afford to settle for less.

Do it Yourself Credit Repair

If you are going to attempt credit repair on your own it is essential that you are well prepared before you begin the process. You should not take any action at all without a thorough grasp of everything involved. I have seen hundreds of people worsen their situation by jumping into the process without proper preparation. One of my favorite do-it-yourself books on credit repair starts with a firm warning that you should not take any credit repair action until you have read the entire book, cover to cover. The book is 500 pages long.

The Choice is Yours

We support the efforts of many do-it-yourselfers and are happy to answer credit repair questions from the DYI community. We have freely shared our knowledge for almost two decades; it is an important part of our philosophy. In the end the choice between hiring a credit repair professional and managing the process on your own depends on your inclination and schedule. If you have the time and energy the task can be rewarding. Our customers tend to be busy people that would rather focus their energies on other things and leave the credit repair to us.

Take the First Step Today!

If you have credit issues, please don’t delay the credit repair process. Some of the results will come quickly, but others will take time. You want to make sure that your credit scores are as good as they can possibly be when you need them. You do not want to be scrambling for a credit score boost at the last minute. Every point on your score counts, and every day in the credit repair process matters. Take the first step now. You will reach your goal before you know it. Good luck!

Copyright © 2008 James W. Kemish. All Content. All Rights Reserved.

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