Does your bad credit cause you to miss out on sweetheart deals or keep you from getting the things you want now?...
on terms you can live with? Let me share a short story with you...
A few years ago...
I had horribly bad credit.
Though it was mostly might own fault for the mess I was in...
It deprived me of getting my dream house and all the other things I wanted and deserved.
Which lead me on a journey...
looking for any and all advice on how to do bad credit repair yourself I could find.
There are lots of ways for you and I to repair bad credit.
It's really quite easy once you know how...
and I'm going to share with you some advice to help you repair bad credit yourself.
Step One-- Getting your credit reports Order your credit reports.
Do you know whats on your credit reports? If you don't you really should.
Notice...
I said "reports".
Why? because there are 3 major credit reporting agencies (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) and each has it's own data base.
You can get 1 free credit report per year from each agency.
Review your reports and make note of any errors, incomplete or false entries that aren't yours.
Step Two-- Know you rights...
The Fair Credit Reporting Act Before you contact the credit reporting agencies to dispute them...
visit the federal trade commission website ([http://www.
ftc.
gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/freereports.
shtm]) and learn what your consumer rights are.
Would you believe me?...
if I told you that you can demand removal of any false or incomplete entries on your credit reports and the credit agencies MUST comply under penalty of federal law.
Step Three-- Time to take action...
Dispute the Credit Reporting Agencies Now that you have an idea of whats on your reports...
it's time to challenge any discrepancies.
Sit down and write a letter to each credit reporting agency about any erroneous entries...
Now, don't be afraid of the "credit police.
" You see...
these agencies are nothing more than a clearing houses who's only purpose is to collect and store credit information on you and I...
to sell that information to merchants that we apply to for credit.
They have no special power over us...
they're just in business to make a buck.
Step Four-- Monitor your progress...
Keep fighting for your good name Okay, so you've fired off letters disputing any discrepancies...
Now what? It's time to play the waiting game.
It takes up to 30 days for your disputes to be verified by the creditors in question and if you're successful...
the errors will be removed.
If the credit agency sends back a reply saying you own a disputed account ...
relax.
Why? Here's how they verify your accounts with creditors.
The credit bureaus send out a simple little one page form to creditors/debt collectors already filled in with your name, ssn and no detailed info.
The creditor checks their files and either confirms--yes, it's yours or says no...
and removes the item from your credit report.
That's It! I once had a bankruptcy being reported as mine that belonged to some lady in Ohio.
Our social security numbers did'nt even match and I've never lived in Ohio a day im my life.
In fact-- the only thing we had in common was our initials! Moral to this story...
keep disputing...
ask the creditor in question for contracts or agreements that you've signed (they have to produce at your request or delete it from your credit report.
) So, as you've learned...
to repair bad credit yourself isn't hard at all.
Armed with some solid advice...
It takes just a little time and patience to order your reports, learn what your rights are...
and most importantly..
..
Take action!