If your credit rating is poor, do not panic. There are a lot of things you can do to fix your credit. There are many companies that claim to “fix” your credit, but you can do the same thing for free. If you follow our tips you will be well on your way to repairing your credit.
If you need to repair your credit, you must decide between two options. You could either hire someone, such as an attorney, that would be familiar with the various credit laws, or you could get your three-in-one credit report, and do it yourself following a guide to help you through the process.
While it may be tempting to close your credit cards when trying to repair your credit, it is actually best to keep them open. This shows your account as current, and credit companies report this good history to the credit bureau, which, in turn, helps to increase your credit rating.
Having between two and four active credit cards will improve your credit image and regulate your spending better. Using less than two cards will actually make it more difficult to establish a new and improved spending history but any more than four and you may seem unable to efficiently manage spending. Operating with about three cards makes you look good and spend wiser.
An important tip to consider when working to repair your credit is to always remain as professional as possible at every point during your credit repair process. This is important because you are dealing with people and people will not only be hesitant to help you if you are not cordial, but they will record it for any future interactions you have with their company. This is a very simple but critical step to follow.
Even if your credit card allows you a grace period, if you are trying to repair your credit, make at least the minimum payment every month. Skipping payments tells the credit card company that you are broke, irresponsible or both, even if your card agreement says it’s okay to do. If you want to repair your credit score, you need to show creditors that you are serious about making payments on a regular basis.
An important tip to consider when working to repair your credit is the fact that correct information can never be removed from your credit report, be it good or bad. This is important to know because many companies will claim that they can remove negative marks from your account; however, they can not honestly claim this.
An important tip to consider when working to repair your credit is the fact that your credit score will never remain the same. This is important to know because you should expect changes to it for the positive or negative and not be overly worried as long as your follow all of the basics for establishing good credit.
When working to repair your credit, it’s important to consider the different ranges that different reporting agencies use. This is important to know, so that you know the meaning of your own score. The main scores used are FICO: 300 – 850, Experian: 330 – 830, Equifax: 300 – 850, and TransUnion: 300 – 850.
An important tip to consider when working to repair your credit is the benefit it will have with your insurance. This is important because you could potentially save a lot more money on your auto, life, and home insurance. Normally, your insurance rates are based at least partially off of your credit score.
To get a negative remark removed from your credit report, you can also contact the originator of that remark directly. This gives you a chance to negotiate with the originator and come to a compromise. If both of you come to an agreement to remove the negative comment under certain terms, be sure to get that in writing. Sometimes that can be a more efficient way to fix the negative item.
If you are in the midst of repairing your credit and find that you are having difficulty paying bills on time due to financial stress, call the financial institution and see what options there may be for you. You may qualify for an economic hardship deferment of a loan or for reduced payments. You never know unless you ask!
When trying to repair your credit, do not be intimidated about writing the credit bureau. You can demand that they investigate or re-investigate any discrepancies you find, and they must follow through with your request. Paying careful attention to what is going on and being reported about your credit record can help you in the long run.
Don’t fall for credit repair scams making claims like “Credit problems? No problem!” or “Completely legal new credit identity, call now!” Legitimate companies do not make claims like this, these scams will take your money and not help your credit score. Instead, research how to help your credit yourself and save a lot of money.
To work on fixing your credit, get rid of every single credit card you own except one. There is no need to have multiple cards and it can be hard to keep up with many monthly payments. You can transfer any remaining balances to the one card that you keep open.
As you can see, by following our helpful tips you will be able to do exactly what credit repair companies do. Your credit rating does not have to stay in the poor range forever; you now have the knowledge to drag yourself out of the poor credit world and into the good credit world.
