Can I clean up my credit myself?

I want to raise my credit score. Can I improve my credit by myself? What is the first step?



First step: Get a copy of your credit report from each bureau at www.annualcreditreport.com.





Print them out and then go over it very carefully. Highlight anything that doesn%26#039;t belong on your report. Yes, the credit bureaus aren%26#039;t perfect. They make mistakes, especially if you have a common name.


(I feel sorry for anybody that is a John Smith).





If you find mistakes go back to the website and dispute each mistake with each of the three bureaus. You will find a tab on their site for disputes...





This is the basic %26quot;clean-up%26quot; you can do to your credit report.





Anything that is on there and belongs to your credit file is yours.


Any %26quot;bad%26quot; entries will fall off after 7 years.





Current credit card accounts in good standing:


If you carry a balance on your cards start paying them off.


The most points you get thru these accounts is by never using more than 30% of the available credit in a billing cycle. So maxing out credit cards and paying them off in full at the end of the month is just as bad as maxing them out period.





Installment loans... they don%26#039;t do much to your credit score. You are expected to make your monthly payment in full until the loan is paid off.





They become detrimental if you have too many of them and you are seeking yet another installment loan.





So before you go out to get pre-qualified for a mortgage:


All Credit Card Balances should be down at or below the 10% limit of the cards credit limit.


Try not to have car loans... pay that car off and drive it before you apply for a mortgage.




Yes. Pay your bills on time, you can also get a secured credit card and pay that bill on time as well. Pay off your current debt load as well.




yes


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