Archives for "Mortgage Issues"
Credit Repair for Your Mortgage
Find Out Your FICO Scores
Your mortgage lender will underwrite your loan application using the middle of your three FICO scores. If you expect to purchase a home or refinance your current mortgage you should know your FICO scores in advance. If there is a problem it is best that you discover it, rather than your mortgage lender. Plan your credit repair strategy today.
Get the Right Scores
The credit scores sold by Experian and TransUnion are their own proprietary scores and can differ from your FICO scores by a significant amount. Equifax sells a true FICO score, but will apply the FICO model only to its own data, and it is not enough to have one FICO score. Your credit repair effort requires reliable information. The only site consumers can purchase their three FICO scores is myfico.com.
Check Your Revolving Balances
Your revolving balances have a dramatic impact on your credit scores. Many people in credit repair programs assume incorrectly that if they make their payments on time their scores will be fine. Later they wonder why their scores are languishing. A high balance on a credit card may cause a drop of over one hundred points your scores. You cannot afford for this to happen. When it comes to credit repair and your mortgage, every point counts.
Bring Your Balances Down
Plan in advance and bring your balances down as much as possible before your make your mortgage application. The FICO scoring model recognizes five levels of credit card usage: 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 percent; the lower the balance the higher the score. Here is some great credit repair advice, if you have the ability you should reduce your balance below 20 percent of your credit limit.
Proofread Your Reports
Once you have all three of your credit reports you should take the time to proofread every bit of information. Remember that you may be living with your new mortgage payment for many years to come. Don’t make the mistake of believing that if the information on your report looks familiar it is accurate. Credit repair requires a bit of healthy skepticism. There are many types of errors possible; not all errors are obvious. I suggest that you spend a couple of hours examining your reports. It may be the best investment of time you ever made.
Fix the Derogatory Information
Look carefully at the derogatory information on your reports. Common errors include duplicate accounts and accounts that are reporting beyond the seven year reporting period limit. Keep in mind that the reporting period for a collection starts with the first missed payment in the sequence that led to the collection status. Collectors often reset the clock accidentally, or otherwise, and report well beyond the expiration of the legal limit. You should also know that when a collector sells a debt, or returns it to the original creditor, they are supposed to cease reporting, but rarely do. This is a great credit repair opportunity.
Fix the Positive Information
Many of the errors that can hurt your credit scores are not derogatory and are harder to spot than a thirty day late payment or a collection. A patient credit repair effort will pay off. Some of the errors that commonly go unnoticed include under-reported credit limits and misreported account opening dates. Under-reported credit limits can make it look like your credit card is maxed-out and your score will reflect this. Misreported account opening dates can make it look like your account is newer than it really is and you will lose points.
The Power of a Rapid Rescore
If you find yourself needing to improve your credit score quickly, try a Rapid Rescore. A Rapid Rescore is a tool offered only by mortgage brokers. It allows you to furnish documentation that balances have been paid down, or that derogatory information has been resolved or is reported in error. The mortgage broker provides the documentation to the credit bureaus. They in turn recalculate your score within three days. Instant credit repair. There is a small cost involved, but it can be well worth it.
Hold off on New Purchases
Too many people make the mistake of making large purchases before they apply for a mortgage. The effect is to inflate revolving balances and deflate saving accounts, thereby lowering credit scores and weakening the mortgage application. Wait until you close on your new mortgage before purchasing your new furniture. Hold off on all significant transactions. Save your money and preserve your credit scores.
New Credit and Your Credit Repair Effort
Your credit score is determined by both the negative and positive information on your credit report. If you do not have any open credit your credit score will suffer. Many people in credit repair programs open secured credit cards to start the rebuilding process. That’s a good idea, and very effective. But be careful of the timing. The first month a new account appears on your credit report your score will fall. If you need to build new credit don’t wait until the last minute.
Copyright © 2007 Sky Blue Credit Repair. All Content. All Rights Reserved.
Credit Repair: Act Now
There is a Lot at Stake
Are you a sub-prime borrower? Chances are that you have had credit issues in the past. There are many reasons for you to make credit repair an immediate priority in your life. There are also many reasons that you might hesitate. Credit reports are not fun to read. Past credit issues are not fun to think about. But there is a lot at stake. Consider hiring a credit repair professional to help you through the process. You can regain control over your own life.
Sub-Prime Financing an Overview
Sub-prime mortgage financing has gotten a bit of a bad rap recently as home values have moderated and borrowers have been unable to escape the inevitable rate increase that is built into the vast majority of sub-prime mortgages. There has been a fair amount of financial hardship blamed on the sub-prime mortgage industry. But there is more to the sub-prime market than meets the eye.
The Benefits
Did you know that over 20 percent of all mortgages originated from 2004 through 2006 were sub-prime mortgages? The sub-prime mortgage industry was developed to accommodate the enormous number of Americans that, due largely to bad credit, could not qualify for traditional home financing. Home ownership is a legitimate and valuable financial goal. And sub-prime financing made it possible for an amazing number of Americans to own homes.
Reality Sets In
Are you facing an interest rate increase? It is true that the sub-prime market has largely evaporated. But there is still hope. Forget the mortgage market and turn your attention to yourself. It’s time to become very proactive about your own credit report. And it is absolutely essential that you act immediately. Please don’t neglect this advice. I am well aware that a large number of people with credit issues feel completely helpless. The thought of consulting a credit repair professional may seem pointless. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Credit Repair Can Save Your Life
I have provided credit repair services to people for a very long time. I speak from experience. Almost without exception people are amazed at the impact that a competent credit repair professional can have on their credit scores, the content of their credit report, and on their ability to completely transform their financial life. When I say that credit repair can save your life I am totally serious. It can also save your house. It can save you tens of thousands of dollars. It can bring you confidence and the long lost knowledge that you have control over your own life.
It’s Your Life
I know that you do not want to be dependent on the availability of sub-prime financing. It is time to take action. The first step is to consult a credit repair professional. You might be surprised to hear that your past credit problems are probably not the sole, or for that matter, the largest factor in your low credit scores. There are a terrible number of errors ranging from subtle misreporting to obvious redundancy that plague consumers and damage their credit scores. The first step in an effective credit repair program is to identify every single one of these issues and eliminate them. But there is more.
Credit Score & Credit Content
Real credit repair requires an intimate knowledge of the impact that every item on your report can have on your credit score. A credit repair professional will make sure that everything that can be done to improve your scores is being done correctly. You cannot afford to ignore anything. The impact of a competent and complete credit repair effort is amazing. Innumerable people start credit repair programs with a skeptical attitude and end up as true believers.
You Have the Power
You have the power to transform your own life. Please don’t believe that because you have made late payments in the past that you are destined to live a life of financial gloom. If you take action to repair your credit you will discover a whole new world of possibilities. Just put one foot in front of the other. Seek the advice of a credit repair professional. When the time comes to refinance your mortgage you will discover that you have more choice than you ever thought. You can make it happen.
Copyright © 2007 Sky Blue Credit. All Rights Reserved.
Credit Repair and the American Dream
A Great Investment
Home ownership has always been considered an integral part of the American Dream. Over the last fifty years those that were able to realize this dream have experienced a great financial benefit. Home ownership, in fact, has contributed more to the wealth of the individual than any other investment. But there is another side to home ownership; it is also the most significant financial obligation that most people will ever undertake. If managed properly home ownership can be a source of great pleasure. If mismanaged, the results can be devastating.
Better Rate More Choice
I have helped people fix bad credit restore their credit reports since 1989. The most common concern amongst our customers has always been the impact that their credit report will have on the mortgage application process. The relationship between your credit and your mortgage is simple; the better your credit, the lower your interest rate and the more choice you will have among mortgage programs.
The Potential of Credit Repair
If you have had credit issues in the past it is essential to your financial life that you have a very clear understanding of how credit repair can help get you back on solid financial ground again. To understand the potential of credit repair there is a myth that needs to be dispelled. This myth is that you are the only one who can repair your own credit. This is a line that was originally promulgated by the credit bureaus and is now parroted by others.
Can You Do it Yourself?
The motivation of the credit bureaus to sell the do-it-yourself campaign was obvious to those of us in the credit repair business. The credit bureaus are well aware of the fact that the vast majority of individuals that undertake the effort to repair their own credit do not have the time or tenacity to understand the system. And without a proper understanding most people will quit out of frustration, or give up believing that they have done everything that can be done. Either way, the credit bureaus will save time and money.
The Role of the Credit Repair Professional
All professions provide the benefit of a mastery of their own field. Although it is certainly true that you could repair your own credit, it is equally true that you could make your own clothes or repair your own car. The economy thrives on the diversity of expertise that is offered in the marketplace. Those that do not have the time or energy to do the extensive research needed to do a job properly can hire someone else to do the work for them. A credit repair professional offers the benefit of his experience in dealing with the three credit bureaus, creditors, and collection agencies. He should also have an in depth understanding of everything that can have an impact on your credit score.
Improving Your Credit Scores
Would you like to purchase a home or refinance to a lower interest rate? The mortgage that you are able to obtain will be entirely dependent on the content of your credit report. As a credit repair professional I speak to people daily who have been told that they either cannot qualify for a mortgage due to their credit, or only qualify for a very expensive sub-prime mortgage. In our examination of their credit reports we often discover that there are a significant number of errors that are depressing their credit scores dramatically.
Putting Your Credit to Work for You
Much of the misreported information that appears on credit reports goes unrecognized. Items such as duplicate accounts, understated high credit limits, and misstated account opening dates are often ignored because they are not derogatory per se. These items along with the obvious erroneous derogatory information can all be cleaned up. And the results can make the difference between an affordable mortgage and a stressful monthly payment.
Choose Carefully
The American Dream is achievable and it depends on your credit. If you have the time and inclination to learn credit repair yourself you should make the effort. If you do not feel up to the task you should hire someone to get the job done for you. And, in making the decision you should remember the potential impact that your credit can have on your life. You work hard for your money. Make sure that your credit works just as hard for you.
Copyright © 2007 Sky Blue Credit. All Content. All Rights Reserved.