Credit Repair Help

Todd Ossenfort, chief operating officer at Pioneer Credit Counseling, says that credit repair is a matter of time and patience. He often fields letters from people who complain that their credit scores don't increase after they pay their debts off. Delinquent account holders cannot expect a magic wand to remove those blemishes overnight; instead, the late payers will have to suck it up and wait seven years. It is always best to pay back old debts rather than just ignoring them and hoping they will go away over time. Time won't stop harassing creditors from calling or lawyers from taking you to court over an unpaid bill. "All you need is a little patience to give the positive information on your accounts some time to outweigh the older negative information," Ossenfort writes back. "As your credit history continues to have positive information added, with new accounts paid on time, etc., your credit score will improve."

If you're wondering how to bring up a low credit score, then you'll be happy to know there are a a few ways to do so. Your first port of call is to check your free credit score with Experian, TransUnion and Equifax and be sure to be on the watch for any facts about identity theft while you are going over your credit report. Once you know what figures you are dealing with you can work out where to start in your credit repair strategy. Next, pay off all your debts, starting with the highest interest credit cards first. If you need help with this area, then you may want to consult a credit repair attorney. While you're paying these off, it's important that you do not close your accounts, as it will look like you're using a larger portion of your available credit. Thirdly, look into getting what is known as "good debt," such as a mortgage, a school loan, a car loan or a self-financed installment loan; anything that will show you can be trusted to once again stick to a monthly payment plan.

There are many ways to improve credit. You'll want to engage in credit repair to secure yourself the best mortgage and auto loans, as well as the best interest rates on credit cards. Six months prior to buying your big ticket item, you should work at boosting your score to at least 700. Reduce your credit card balances down to 30% of their credit limits, as maxed out credit cards hurt your credit score big time. Also, be sure you don't cancel any of your credit cards because you'll decrease the amount of available credit you have. You might want to also mix up your credit portfolio with unsecured credit cards and secured loans. Lastly, you can negotiate with all your creditors to remove late payments, which can improve your credit overnight if you're lucky.

Beware of credit repair scams. The numbers of complaints against credit repair operations have increased 38% since 2004. To protect yourself, do not pay large sums of upfront cash to companies that promise to erase all blemishes on your credit report, give you a new Social Security Number or allow you to "piggyback" on someone else's credit record. Check out the Better Business Bureau to ensure the company is legitimate before you do business with them. Consumer Credit Counseling Services is a national nonprofit organization that offers low-priced credit counseling to help you if you need it.

At an early age people are given the opportunity to begin building their credit. They can acquire credit cards, loans for vehicles and homes and even money for school. But what happens when this credit is maxed out and there is no way to repay it all? It is all too easy to find yourself in over your head in bad credit. But you do not have to stay that way. There are many resources on the internet that can help you eliminate those bills and get back on your feet.

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