Saturday 28 April 2012

How to Fix Your Credit without Hiring a Professional

By Collin Jimson


How to fix your credit is something that you, along with many other people in the US, probably want to learn. Well, this could actually be a good thing. Wanting to learn how to fix bad credit indicates that you want to rise above your situation. If this is so, good for you! Bad credit is bad for your credit score in particular and for your life in general. Some insurance companies charge higher rates for people with bad credit. Utilities providers do spot checks of credit records. In short, bad credit won?t do you any good.

On the other hand, when your credit record is untainted by bad credit, you will enjoy the perks of having more chances of getting hired by new employers, getting promoted or simply getting the pay raise that you have been wanting for so long. Plus, you can secure a loan any time that you want to. Simply put, a better credit score just makes your life easier.

Many people prefer having other people do credit repair for them. I say, why hire someone else when you are perfectly capable of doing it? Yes, you can do your own credit repair. This much is true. Besides, doing it by yourself means you can save on the costs of hiring a professional to fix your credit. And so, here are tips you can follow regarding how to fix your credit.

Secure copies of your credit reports

Yes, you have to start with this basic step. In order to repair your credit, you have to know what needs repair. As such, securing a copy of your credit allows you to take a peek at everything you have done that gave you bad credit in the first place.

The place to get your credit reports

The three credit bureaus are the places to secure copies of your credit reports. By law, you are entitled to free copies of your reports each year. All you need to do is ask. Now, as you are currently reading this article over the internet, it would suffice to say that you know your way around cyberspace. Actually, you can get your free copies from AnnualCreditReport.com. If you want to request a copy by mail or phone, you can do that, too.

What to do with your credit reports

Patiently go over the items on your credit reports. This might take some time if you have a considerably lengthy credit history. Basically, you will find your personal data, detailed credit history, any listed public records such as bankruptcy, and inquiries about your credit report. Sift through all that and look for data that you might need to repair.

Items that need to be fixed

First, look for wrong information. This could include a listed account which you know is not yours. Another one is payments made which were incorrectly reported as late. Second, search for past due accounts which have been sent to collections, charged off or late.

Dispute the errors on your credit reports

The wrong data on your credit report reflect negatively on you; that is why you need to dispute them. For this, you have to inform the credit agency of the mistakes made on your report. The best way to do this is by sending a letter of dispute, a copy of supporting documents to validate your dispute, and a copy of the credit report showing the mistakes. You can mail this to the credit agency and wait for what they have to say.

To cut a long story short, the tips given can serve as your guide in repairing your credit. When you succeed, you can be pleased with the fact that you already know how to fix your credit.




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