How You Can Improve Your Credit Score

[Rick Howell]

Improving a credit score does not happen overnight.

Why?

Most creditors only report to the bureaus once a month. However, there are a few steps you can take right now to start cleaning up your credit blemishes and here they are:

• Always remember to pay your bills on time- late payments can have a serious impact on your score.
• Do not apply for credit frequently. Having a large number of inquiries on your credit report can worsen your score; it looks like you’re being turned down for credit when you’re just shopping around.
• Reduce your credit balances. If you are “maxed” out on your credit cards, this will affect your credit score negatively. Your balance should only be 20% of the entire approval amount of each credit card.
• If you do have any unpaid debt that you now have the ability to pay off, then either do so or try to set up a “payment plan” or settlement option with the debtor.
• Obtain additional credit if you have limited credit. Not having sufficient credit can negatively impact your score. Even if you don’t like charging purchases, obtain a low-limit credit card and use it every month and pay off the balance within thirty days.
• When you do get your mortgage be sure to always pay it on time. Late mortgage payments are one of the most significant blemishes that you can have on your report.