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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Credit Restoration For A Better Credit Score

By Carlton Markkrite

You may have recently tried to make a large purchase; a vehicle, for example. You may have been turned down on the grounds that your credit could use some work before you will qualify for credit for this purchase. There are ways of securing credit even if your record is not spotless, but credit restoration can be a great help to people looking to improve their financial standing. If you can get lower interest rates, this means lower prices for you. If your credit needs a little work, how can you get started with credit repair?

Making your payments on time is the first and most important step. Regardless of your past, it is your recent credit activity which will make the biggest difference to your creditworthiness. Late payments can seriously damage your credit score - by as much as a hundred points in some cases.

You'll have to be willing to do whatever it takes to get back on track with your payments. Think of selling unused items or even taking on a second job if this will help you to catch up with late payments. This is an important part of credit repair and will make a big difference in how you look to prospective creditors.

Making sure that you are making your payments on time is how you should begin your process of credit restoration, but you'll also want to get copies of your credit report from the three credit reporting bureaus (TransUnion, Experian and Equifax). Make sure that everything you see on your credit report is accurate. If not, you should write to the bureaus right away to dispute these inaccuracies. The bureaus will have 30 days after receiving your letter to investigate the items in question - this can clear up some inaccurate items on your credit report which could be hurting your credit score.

If you see any old debts on your credit report that you had forgotten, be sure to pay them off now.

Try to think about your credit report in the way that a creditor might view things. Are your credit limits maxed out? If they are, then start making the largest payments you can afford on these debts in order to pay them down as quickly as possible. Creditors prefer to see large lines of credit which are going unused to maxed out accounts. Paying off these balances can be a big part of your credit restoration plan.

After paying off your credit cards, you should keep the accounts open. An open account with no balance can help your credit score and looks good as far as having unused credit goes. Having several open accounts with zero balances can be a valuable part of any credit repair plan.

Credit repair can take some time but is well worth the effort. Although it can take more than a year, you can improve your credit score and start to feel a weight lifted from your shoulders. Stay dedicated to reaching your goal and you'll eventually achieve financial freedom.

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