fast credit repair

Now I know that most of you out there are like me – you want to get fast results with as little effort as possible.  That is why we have been talking about how to repair credit fast.  While there is certainly no quick fix for bad credit, there are some strategies that you can implement to achieve results more quickly.

In my last post, we discussed a few strategies for fast credit repair.  They were:

  • Disputing Inaccurate Information
  • Becoming an Authorized User
  • Paying Off Revolving Debt
  • Paying for Deletion
  • Disputing All Negative Information

Today, I thought I would share a three more things you should know if you really want to know how to fix credit fast.


How to Repair Credit Fast

….part 2

1.  Get Your Rent Payment Reported to Your Credit File

Credit restoration is not just about cleaning up old items from your credit report.  It also includes getting new positive credit so that potential creditors can see that you can and will pay on time.  The trick is to establish new credit without getting in over your head!

One of the best ways to do this is to get items that you already have that are not in your credit report added.  Since your monthly rent payment is generally one of the largest payments that you will have, this is a great place to start!

There are several companies out there that for a small fee, will collect your monthly payment and then forward it to your landlord.  Because they collect the payment, they are able to verify that it was made on time and report this to your credit bureau.

This is a great way to get a credit history without actually getting into debt! (Now, I know getting one account added to your bureau won’t fix credit fast, but believe me, all these little steps add up!)

2. Get other Un-Reporting Items Added to Your Credit

Do you have a good credit history with a credit union or other company that is just too small to report to the credit bureaus?  If so, you should try to get these accounts added to the credit reports manually.  Some of the credit bureaus charge a small fee for this.  Despite the fee, it is a great way to improve your credit history without actually getting into more debt.

You will simply need to obtain a written credit history from the creditor and then contact each of the credit bureaus directly.  Provide them with your documentation, and if all goes well the accounts will be reporting to the credit bureaus within 45 days!

3.  Pay Your Credit Cards On the Statement Cut Date

Do you have a credit card that you use but pay off each month?  Many of us have these types of accounts, especially if we use them for business.  If you want to understand how to repair credit fast, a great thing to learn is WHEN you should make your payment.

Most people do not understand that making your payment on the due date means that the balances before you pay is what will be reported to the credit bureaus.  If fact, your credit score will be just the same as if you made the minimum payment and you will never see the benefit of paying your cards off each month.  (Beyond the positive relationship it creates with the individual creditor!)

Do get the balance after your payment reported, your payment should be made prior to the date that the statement cuts.  This simple strategy can yield big results with your credit score!

By the way, if you would like more help on how to implement these strategies, don’t forget to enroll in Credit Repair College today! We will help you fix credit score issues so that you can move on with your life!

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If you are like me, you don’t have a lot of patience.  I want what I want and I want it now!

My husband is always saying that it isn’t that things don’t always go my way, they just don’t always happen in my time frame! :)

Sound familiar? If so, here is how to fix bad credit fast!

1. Review your credit file and dispute anything inaccurate

Did you know that an estimated 87% of credit reports contain errors?  (In fact, some estimates are higher!)  One of the easiest strategies for those wanting to know how to  fix credit fast is to get a current copy of your credit report and clean up any errors.  Once you have your report, review it carefully line by line.  Key things to look for are:

  • Credit Card Limits Reporting Too Low
  • Inaccurate Late Payments
  • Accounts Reporting that are more than 7 years from the date of last activity
  • Paid Collection accounts reporting as unpaid

All of these things can drag your credit score down. If you want fast credit repair this step is a MUST!

2.  Piggyback

The quickest way to get establish a long and positive credit history is to get a spouse or parent to add you as an authorized user to one of their existing accounts.  Pick the oldest account that you can and make sure that it has a perfect payment history and low balance.  Once the credit report updates, you will benefit from the full history of this account!  You will be suprised at how just one perfectly reporting credit card that dates back to 1987 can help your credit score.

3.  Pay down debt

I am sure you already knew this, but no list about fast credit repair would be complete without including it.  The simple truth is that 30% of your credit score is derived from what is called your utilization ratio.  This is the realationship between how much you owe and your credit lines.  Charging your credit cards up to near their balance is a sign of finanical stress and the credit scoring module takes this into account.  If your carry high credit card balances, there are few things that you can do that will have a greater impact on your credit score than paying off your debt.

4.  Pay for Delete

The number one rookie mistake when it comes to credit repair is simply paying off collection accounts.  If you haven’t heard me say it before, I will repeat myself:  NEVER, EVER PAY OFF A COLLECTION ACCOUNT!  Doing so renews the date of last activity and may actually lower your credit score. Simply paying off the debt will NOT fix credit report issues!

What you want to do is contact the lender and arrange a pay for delete.  This is a win-win for both you and the lender.  They get all the money that you owe them and you get the item completely removed from your credit file. This is a great strategy to fix credit fast!

5.  Dispute Negatives…Even if they are accurate!

Ok – here’s the deal.  No one can promise you that they can get accurate items removed from your credit file.  Anyone who tells you that they can do this is quite simply lying.  That being said, you may get lucky and get items that are accurate removed from your credit file. The key is knowing which items are worth taking your time on.

What you want to focus on is negative accounts that are between two and five years old.  Anything newer and the creditor is likely going to have easy access to their records and highly motivated to respond.  (And anything older is probably not impacting you all that much)  Items that you will probably have the most luck getting removed are collection accounts that are paid and accounts that were once past due that are now current.

Still want to know more about  how to repair credit fast?  Stay tuned and we will talk more about how to fix credit score issues!

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