Credit Fixes

Ryan Cote asked:


Good credit has become nearly a necessity these days. Credit has become almost essential to buying a car or a home (unless you have large amounts of cash lying around) and with the advent of online buying, it’s generally difficult to operate without some kind of credit card. Unfortunately, credit does cause problems for some people. Minimum payments on credit cards can be missed, or a loan could go into default and your credit rating will begin to slide. When you have negative activity, the creditor reports it a credit reporting agency, who then records it on your credit history. A tarnished credit report can be tough to clean up, as most negative items will remain stay on your report for seven years before they expire and are removed.

If you have bad credit history, you’ll end up dealing with previously unknown problems. You can’t rent a car or buy things online, renting property will be difficult, and getting a mortgage may be impossible. It’s important to repair your credit as soon as you notice a problem because you’d be surprised at what kind of credit repair you can accomplish by being proactive.

The first thing you should do if you fall behind in your loan payments is contact your creditor. This can be scary and many people take the opposite approach, avoiding “collection calls” out of embarrassment or even fear. Unfortunately, it’s best to deal with the problem immediately and to avoid long-term credit difficulties. Contact your creditor right away – as soon as you find you are having trouble with a debt.

Remember the solution to your credit repair process starts with your credit report, and what is on your report is what your creditor reports about you. By contacting your creditor, you may be able to discuss possible payment plans or alternative solutions. It is in the creditor’s best interests to work with you, as if you go into default, they might never get payment.

There are many reasons that you should contact your creditor immediately, but most of all, it helps to speed up the credit repair process. Once you’ve contacted your creditor, suggest a payment system that works for both for you. Be sure to propose a payment plan that is realistic for you, and stick to it. Defaulting on these payments will look to the creditor as if you were just trying to stall and avoid further payment.

When you contact your creditor about your outstanding debt, be sure to remember that it is in your best interest to convince your creditor not to report your non-payment to the credit report agency. By facing up to your payment problems, contacting your creditor right away, and creating a payment system that will work for both of you, you are taking a very effective step credit repairing your credit.

Alex Navas asked:


In this rough time in our economy when credit is more important than ever, it’s crucial to know how to fix your credit the easy way. Fixing your credit doesn’t have to be a long process if you consider the easy changes that you can make instantly to increase your credit score.

Here are 3 easy steps to take to begin the process of fixing your credit.

1. Pay Your Bills On Time

For some reason, people always underestimate the power of paying on time. Human nature always draws us to complicate simple tasks, and this is the case when you are working towards fixing your credit score. The easiest thing to do to accomplish a high credit score is to develop a habit of paying your bills on time.

If you do, then you never have to worry about having late payments on your credit report or dealing with collections. The reason is simple, you are already paying your bills on time so there’s nothing to correct. Besides, 35% of your credit score is driven by your payment habits.

2. Have A Good Mix Of Credit

Your credit is your ability to pay your debts and expenses per the terms and conditions, as well as in a timely fashion. So, with that said, lenders are more impressed by borrowers who have shown proof of being able to handle different types of credit, not just one type.

What that means is that credit scores can be higher for someone who has paid credit cards, a mortgage, a car loan, and other types of loans like student loans (or other types of installment loans) compared to someone who has only managed credit card debt.

Again, lenders look at how you handle different types of credit. Having a variety of credit allows you to boost your credit score when you are looking to fix your credit.

3. Use Good Judgment When Applying For New Credit

If you are looking to fix your credit, then it may or may not be a good idea to apply for more credit. There are things to consider before applying for credit while you are trying to fix your credit scores. Some of those things include the length of time you’ve had your existing credit for, how many accounts you currently have opened and how much do you owe in total balances.

Using wisdom and not just looking for a discount at your local department score can make all the difference in you being able to obtain a better credit score or not.

If you are looking for a new credit account simply to spend more then don’t do it. However, if you are applying for a new credit card to spread out your balances over several card, then it may be a good thing. The point is to look at your credit overall and make decisions that will not hurt you in the end.

Fixing your credit doesn’t have to be as difficult as most make it to be. Start with the small steps like paying your bills on time, having different types of credit, and thinking about your credit profile before opening up new accounts. Once you take these 3 steps to fixing your credit, you will notice your credit score going higher and higher over time, and it didn’t cost you any money to achieve those results.