Your Credit: If It’s Broke, It’s Time To Fix It!
You need not suffer the effects of bad credit, no matter how you wound up with credit problems. Whether you have been personally damaged by economic conditions, victimized by dishonest lenders or even were simply too carefree in your spending, you deserve better credit. You can turn things positive on your credit report by starting with these steps.
Financing a home is not always an easy task, especially when you have less than perfect credit. If this is the case, try to get an FHA loan, which are loans backed by federal government. You might be able to get an FHA loan even if you cannot afford closing costs or down payments.
Credit Card
You may be able to get a secured credit card even if your poor credit has prevented you from getting other credit cards. You will most likely be approved for this type of card, but you will have to add money to the card before you can use it so the bank will know that you can pay for all of your purchases. If you open a credit card account, keep charges fairly low, and pay it on time, this will go towards improving your credit score.
Start by paying off credit cards with accounts 50% over your limit. You can concentrate on another card once these accounts are lowered to under half of your limit. Credit card balances are among the factors taken into account when determining your credit score. Maintaining balances over 50% will lower your rating. You can attain lower your balances by using balance transfers to move debt from accounts with higher balances to those with lower balances, or by simply paying off some of your higher balances.
Credit Score
If you credit score is good, you should have no problem purchasing a house and obtaining a mortgage. Making regular mortgage payments will also help your credit score. Once you own a home, you will have financial stability secured by your assets, thus a good credit score. This will make taking out future loans much easier.
Paying your bills is a straightforward, but truly vital prerequisite for credit restoration. More importantly, you need to start paying your bills in full and on time. When you pay off past due lines of credit your credit score will go up.
If an action can result in imprisonment, draw the line. There are plenty of credit scams that purport to erase your existing credit file and create a new one. Do not attempt this because it’s illegal; you will not be able to avoid getting caught. Not only can legal fees add up, but you could end up in jail.
Call and request lower limits on your cards from the credit card companies. This will prevent overextending yourself and lets the company know about your responsible borrowing habits. You could get credit easier in the future.
Credit Score
Don’t sign a debt settlement contract until you know what impact it is going to have on your credit score. Some agreements won’t hurt you as much as others. This is why you should research all of the available ones for you before signing an agreement. The creditor does not care what happens to your credit score, as long as they get their money.
When you are attempting to improve your credit score, carefully comb over your credit reports for negative information. Even if a charge held against you is legitimate, any problems with its details, like the date or the amount owed, could make the entire entry invalid and eligible for removal.
Don’t spend more than you make each month. This is nothing short of a lifestyle overhaul. In many cases, people are using credit cards to buy things they want, rather than focusing on things that they need. Take a deep look at your finances, and determine what you can realistically afford to spend.
If you are able to successfully negotiate a payment schedule for a debt, it is important to request a copy of the agreement in writing. If the creditor tries to change the agreement or if it the company is sold to someone else, you will have documentation to support your case. If you manage to pay off your debt, make sure you receive proper documentation as proof to send to credit reporting agencies.
Credit Score
It can seem impossible to repair your credit score, but just knowing what the steps are and making a plan can make it seem much less intimidating. With the advice you were given in the above article, you can get to work on improving your credit score today.