January 21st, 2008
If you are a first time home buyer, you more than likely don’t know what the process is. Most first time home buyers rely on a real estate agent to guide them a long. Here is the advice and tips that will make your home buying experience a good one.
First Step:
1. Find out what you qualify for. This is the most important part of the home buying process whether you are a first time home buyer, or someone upgrading to a bigger home. We know that getting the approval process done first is not as fun as looking at homes. But you could be wasting your time and everyone involved by not getting your finances in place first. I would recommend getting a current copy of your credit report with scores before calling a lender. Make sure you know your credit situation, so you are an educated home buyer.
Second Step:
2. Find a seasoned realtor that knows what they are doing. There are too many realtors in the real estate business that don’t have a clue when trying to find you a home. I would get a recommendation from you lender. They typically know who will get the job done for you. You don’t have to buy a home with a realtor that works for some big name brokerage. There are plenty of good realtors that work for small companies as well. Do some research?
Third Step:
3. Once you have secured financing with a reputable lender and have found a seasoned realtor, then you are ready to start the looking process. If a realtor takes you out and only wants to show you 4 to 5 homes and that is it, this is a sign that all they are interested in is a commission check. This is the biggest purchase of your life, it usually takes all day to look at homes and then make a decision. In some instances there may only be 4 to 5 homes to look because that is all that is available that meets your criteria. I am sure you get the idea though.
Fourth Step:
4. Close on your new home. Hopefully you have made the right decisions and got reputable and honest real estate professionals to make it happen for you.
Conclusion: Make sure you can buy first, and what type of loan you qualify for. This is essential so you will not be disappointed. You should also have selected seasoned and professional real estate service providers. Remember you are relying on real estate professionals to help you make the biggest purchase of your life.
About the Author: Mike Clover is the owner of http://www.creditscorequick.com/. CreditScoreQuick.com is the one of the most unique on-line resources for free credit score report, Internet identity theft software, secure credit cards, and a BlOG with a wealth of personal credit information. The information within this website is written by professionals that know about credit, and what determines ones credit worthiness.
Posted in FICO, credit cards, credit report, free credit score reports | Comments Off
January 21st, 2008
Have you ever wondered what does not affect your credit score and credit report? There are factors that Fair Isaac doesn’t use in determining your credit risk. Fair Isaac says its scoring model complies with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibiting against using racial or ethic data in credit decisioning. They also have said that based on independent research, it has shown that the credit scoring is not unfair to minorities or people with little credit history. The scoring model has been a consistent and accurate measure of repayment for all people who have credit history. So in other words, your ethnic background has nothing to do with a given credit score.
In a different perspective of the model, credit scoring can be a disadvantage for people who are not familiar with the system. For example individuals who are poor and low-income usually don’t have great mobility. They typically utilize local stores and credit grantors within there communities. Since most of these grantors tend to be small, they usually don’t report to the Credit Bureaus. With this in mind, this class of people tends to suffer the most because of the limited access to big banks and companies that report to all agencies.
Here is what Fair Isaac does not consider:
* Race, Color, religion, national origin, sex, or martial status.
* Age
* Salary, Title, Occupation, employer, date employed, or employment history
* Place of residence
* Any interest rate being charged on credit card account or other account
* Any items reported as Child/Family support obligations or rental agreements
* Certain types of inquiries ( Certain requests for your credit report or credit score)
* Any information not found in your credit report
* Any information that is not proven to be predictive of future credit performance.
Since there is so much information out there about what determines your credit score on your credit report, we figured we would give you a different perspective in this article.
CreditScoreQuick.com
Posted in FICO, credit report, free credit score reports | Comments Off
November 29th, 2007
What does your credit score include? When you are establishing your credit, you may wonder what the credit agencies are actually looking for. Generally, they start out with your name, social security number, employers, current and past addresses, and your marital status. When someone gets your credit report, it includes things like when you make payments to your utility bills. Paying a bill late can stay on your credit history for years. Things that you might not imagine would affect your score can be heavily weighted when determining how high of a risk you are. They look at whether you own or rent, how long you have lived at the same address, what your occupation is and how many years you have you been at your current job.
Good credit gives lenders the idea that you are a low-risk person who manages their credit and finances wisely. When you establish a good credit history, you will enjoy lower interest rates, lower minimum payments, less paperwork and more lending options. Poor decisions can lead to years of paying higher minimums and higher interest, forcing you to hold your balances for longer and longer. You can be denied jobs, car loans, and pay auto insurance rates over 200% higher than someone with a high rating. Those who manage their credit well enjoy lower limits, more freedom of which instruments they choose and can pay off balances more quickly. In general, having good credit saves you money and can get you the kind of help that you need when you need it.
Lenders look at your financial situation as well when determining your credit worthiness. They will see how many credit cards and loans you have, if you have made any late payments and how many years have you had a credit history. Eight or more years of credit history is preferred, so get started as early in your life as possible. Don’t let your debt add up to over 15% of your income. It’s a good idea not to let your balance get up to 50% of your available credit on credit cards.
Keep the number of inquiries on your credit low. You should take a look at your own credit report once a year to make sure there are not any mistakes on it. One inquiry does not hurt you, but multiple inquiries can significantly impact your score. Even two inquiries can lower your score by around eight points.
Building good credit takes time, effort and maybe some sacrifices. Start early building your net worth. Having a checking and a savings account earns you a score four times higher in that scoring area than a checking account alone. Set up an automatic savings plan, no matter how small of an amount is being contributed. Take advantage and invest heavily in your employer’s retirement plan. All of these things show your responsibility.
Pay your credit cards before the due date and always pay more than the minimum. Pay your bills on-time, every time. If you realize that you are going to have to pay a bill late, don’t settle on paying a late fee and forgetting about it. That one late payment will be on your credit report for a long time. Take everything that has to do with your bank account and bills seriously.
If you need some help with your score, investing in secured credit cards can help establish a better credit score when you pay it off on-time for many consecutive months. The bottom line is to be responsible, and your score will reflect your efforts.
Author: Mike Clover
Posted in bad credit, credit agency, credit report, establish credit | 1 Comment »
November 29th, 2007
If you’re applying for a loan or credit card, your credit score could have an impact on your interest rate and loan term. So what is your credit score and what does it mean? What does it say about you? Credit scoring is how creditors or lenders assess their risk when lending money to you. They look at your score and it indicates to them how financially responsible you have been in the past.
Your credit worthiness is calculated by credit scoring agencies and bureaus. You should get a copy of your credit score at least once a year and make sure that there are no mistakes or omissions in it. You can get this information for very little money and sometimes for free. Your actual score will be between 300 and 900. Higher scores are much better and can get you great interest rates, longer pay-off periods or terms, lower fees and less paperwork in the application process. Low scoring applicants are usually rejected all together or they are offered high interest rates, high minimum payments and more fees. Sometimes low scoring applicants are accepted based on their employment history or other factors, but generally aren’t as trustworthy as their higher scoring counterparts.
Is your score a good score? 650 or higher is a very good score and will generally earn you the very best terms when applying for loans. If there are a few minor problems with your credit history, such as a couple of late payments in the last few years, then you can score between 620 and 650, which is still a good score. You may run into a few problems with this score, but generally it is still pretty good. You’ll probably end up with slightly higher interest rates than people with excellent credit. Scoring under 620 puts you into a risky category. You may still be approved for a loan, but it will be at the highest interest rates and you may be considered a big risk to lenders.
Things that affect your credit score include your borrowed money payment history, late payments and missed payments. Late and missed payments on a credit card or loan are very big considerations when calculating your credit score. You should try to never make a late payment because it blemishes your record for years. Another thing considered when figuring your credit score is your debt to income ratio. If your level of debt is very high relative to your income, or if the cards you have are close to their spending limits, then your score will probably go down.
If your credit history is very long and you’ve had revolving credit for years, then your score may drop. Trouble paying things off completely makes you look like you are in over your head, or you’re just not trying to pay off your debts. Inquiries on your credit are another thing that is looked at. If you’re constantly applying for credit cards and loans, regardless of your acceptance or use of the instrument, then you look like someone who can’t afford the things that you’re trying desperately to get. Do your research before choosing a loan or credit card to apply for. Multiple inquiries on your credit can hurt you in the long run. Your credit score ultimately depends on you.
Author: Mike Clover
Posted in credit cards, credit worthy | Comments Off
November 29th, 2007
You may have bad credit due to some irresponsible moves or some unforeseen events in your life. Protecting your credit score could prove to be very important to your future. There are lots of ways to keep your credit good, but if it’s already looking pretty bad, consider some repair options. One way is to go through a credit repair organization.
If you think you should use a credit repair company to fix your credit problems, you should educate yourself first. Credit repair companies can make a lot of promises, but be careful who you give your information to. There is a lot of deception going on in this industry and there are a few signs that you should look out for.
First, if they ask you for any money up front, then it isn’t a legitimate or ethical company. The Credit Repair Organizations Act says that companies aren’t allowed to ask you for any money until everything that they have promised has been completed. So this should be something that you are mindful of.
Secondly, they should always inform you of your legal rights and the steps that you can take yourself to repair your credit. Crazy promises to remove all bad things from your credit should be ignored. No one can do this. You can investigate your credit files to dispute any inaccurate or incomplete information, but you can’t make negative information just vanish. If a credit repair organization tells you not to contact a credit reporting agency yourself, you should probably hang up the phone and do just that. Anything that a credit repair company can do for you, you can actually do for yourself, for free. Research a little online and find out what your rights are under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
The Credit Repair Organizations Act is in place to protect you. If you decide to go with a credit repair company, then you should familiarize yourself with the basics of this act before you proceed. We’ve mentioned that they can’t charge you until they’ve completed everything that they’ve promised, but you should also know that they must provide you with payment terms for their services. They must inform you of all fees and a final total amount that will be due. They must give you a detailed description in writing of everything that they plan to do. They have to give you a time line in which the process will be completed. Any guarantees must be in writing and included in the contract. The company’s name and address must also be included on the contract.
Before you sign anything, they must provide you with a copy of the Consumer Credit File Rights Under State and Federal Law. They can’t start working on your credit until they have a signed contract in hand and have completed a three day waiting period. Anytime during the waiting period you have the right to change your mind and cancel the contract, owing nothing. Keep your rights in mind throughout the process and educate yourself before you start. Remember, anything they can do for your credit score, you can do yourself for free.
Author: Mike Clover
Posted in bad credit, credit education, credit repair agency, credit repair company, fix credit | Comments Off
November 10th, 2007
Everyone seems to realize that having a high credit score is great, but there are even more advantages than most people know. Qualifying for loans tends to be the advantage that most people focus on, but discovering the other advantages might really ignite an interest to work toward a higher score.
Yes, loan eligibility is an amazing credit score benefit, but getting lower interest rates on those loans is even more important. The better interest rates you qualify for put money directly back into your own pocket. This goes for rates on other services as well. Having a low credit score can actually add one to two points to a motor vehicle insurance premium. Why is this related? Your ability to make responsible payments is also important to insurance agencies, credit card companies, cell phone providers, and more. Maintaining a great score will help you to save money in all of these areas.
If you are an owner of a small business, getting a line of credit or small-business loan may be imperative to your success. If a business is less than three years old, personal credit plays a huge factor in your eligibility and interest rates. At this stage of small business, lenders have trouble making a distinction between your business credit history and your private credit score.
If you are not a business owner and work better in a job atmosphere, there are even rewards in the job market. Many professional employers actual do a credit check before a new hire. These high level employers consider your credit score a representation of your responsible behavior. An employee that has difficulty managing their own finances might not be the best person to take care of company needs. This is especially true for employment in fields that are especially tied to financial practices such as banks, accounting firms, and treasuries.
The biggest advantage to a high credit score is the buying power you will possess. The possibilities for investment and rates on large purchases are much better. You will spend less on a new car, be able to make a big investment in a growing real estate market, or get the loans you need to send your children to the best college. The opportunities are almost limitless when credit is handled well. If you don’t have a great score right now, it is never to late to get started on your way to rebuilding it or building it up for the first time. There are a number of helpful online sources to assist you. Start by getting a free credit score report from an online provider.
Author: Mike Clover
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
November 10th, 2007
Identity theft is at an all time high as a result of the digital age of paperless transactions and online databases. Why would anyone want to steal someone’s identity? Some people think it is just for the purpose of starting fresh or getting away from their previous life, but the vast majority of identity thieves do it for money. If they have your personal identity information they can also retrieve your banking information, credit card numbers, and more. Those who are using other identities are usually using many identities for the purpose of stealing money from all of them, perhaps by withdrawing funds from their bank or setting up a credit card in their name. The scary thing about identity theft is that the violators have little care that they may be taking everything another individual owns as well as destroying their credit for a number of years. If a victim is unable to detect identity theft for over six months, it can do severe financial damage. You can of course investigate your own credit reports and accounts regularly, or you can pay for a credit monitoring service to investigate for you.
One of the greatest advantages to using a credit monitoring program is the convenience. Instead of living life, constantly paranoid of identity theft, credit monitors can do the worrying for you. Odds are, a monitoring program will also investigate more thoroughly than the average citizen. Monitoring services commonly monitor new account activity, address changes, collection accounts, changes to account information, credit limit increases, credit inquiries, changes in public records, changes in current accounts, and recently closed or flagged accounts. Yes, all of these things can be equally investigated by an eager individual, but routinely checking all of these cues for identity theft can be tedious and unpleasant. Regardless, it is important to check all or more of these areas to keep a close watch on the possibility of identity theft. Early detection is the key to monitoring your credit before the financial loss has become too great, and with an online identity theft monitoring service, you can just go on living life without the burden of becoming a part time investigator.
When considering a monitoring service, you should first consider where that provider receives information. It is most desirable for an identity theft service to obtain information from the three major credit agencies. How often the service monitors your information is also relevant. The frequency of your credit monitoring will increase your chances of early detection. Various services and programs also vary in how often they release reports and give updates, and some provide actual identity theft insurance in the event that they make a mistake and overlook a thief.
There are a host of things to take into account when deciding how to keep a close eye on your credit information. Identity theft is a very real problem that no one believes will really happen, but the reality is that it happens every day. If you choose not to use an online identity theft service or other credit monitoring program get organized so that you can closely monitor the activities associated with your identity. It will save you so many problems in the future.
About the Author: Mike Clover is the owner of http://www.creditscorequick.com/. CreditScoreQuick.com is the one of the most unique on-line resources for free credit score report, Internet identity theft software, secure credit cards, and a BlOG with a wealth of personal credit information. The information within this website is written by professionals that know about credit, and what determines ones credit worthiness.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
November 10th, 2007
Ever wonder what a FICO score stands for? Obviously, this is a credit score, but who determines what that score will be, and what does FICO mean? By learning more about the Fair Isaac Corporation, some of these questions can be answered.
In 1956, and engineer by the name of Bill Fair and a mathematician known as Earl Isaac founded the Fair Isaac Corp., or FICO. FICO originally provided consulting and decision management services, but in 1981 they developed a system for scoring the amount of risk associated with making certain loans and investments. The FICO score is a number generated from an individual’s credit history. By statistically analyzing this report, the FICO system assigns a value to the likelihood that an individual will pay their debts. This value is noted by banks and other lending institutions when determining the interest rates and other characteristics of a loan, helping them to make accurate and profitable lending decisions.
So is FICO a credit bureau? The answer is yes and no. It seems we have all heard of the credit bureaus that gather information about our debts and assign us credit scores. In actuality, they are not credit bureaus at all. FICO and the other similar companies are not associated with the government but are in fact publicly traded companies known as credit reporting agencies. Out of these companies such as Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, FICO is the most known and widely used credit-scoring agency in the United States.
The Fair Isaac Corporation is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota but has offices throughout five of the 7 major continents and turns a revenue of over $800 million dollar per year. Beyond producing credit scores, their over 3,500 employees provide consulting and management services to more than 200 international retailers, 99 of the top 100 US banks, and over 100 international telecommunications companies. FICO has become a cornerstone for the entire American economy.
Getting your fico score is easy. You can buy your score directly from FICO or you can receive a free credit score report from various online providers. Once you know your score, you can quickly assess what kinds of lending options might be available. A score of 720 or higher is considered worthy credit, or good credit, while anything that drops below a 600 is considered bad credit. With bad credit you will pay more in interest on loans and have more difficult qualifying for certain loan packages. There are many things you can do to improve your score, but the best one is to simply pay you debts.
Author: Mike Clover
Posted in free credit score reports | Comments Off
October 9th, 2007
After taking the first step of obtaining a free credit score report, the next most common step to improving your credit score is to correct any errors that might be present. Strangely enough, errors do occur, and it is well worth taking the time to dispel such inconsistencies. You must carefully scrutinize the report in order to correct things like account numbers, names, wrong information, as well as items that are out of date. The last error type is the most common mistake and when corrected can have an important impact on your score.
There are guidelines that regulate how long certain kind of information can be recorded in your credit score. For example, most undesirable information that is over seven years old may be removed. This includes lawsuits, judgments, paid tax liens, accounts dispatched for collection, records of criminal activity (other than convictions), late payments, and even child support and many other pieces of possibly adverse information. This is great news for those that have blemishes on their credit report from years ago. These things will not show up forever. Even insolvencies that are older than ten years can be dismissed from your score. Getting rid of this outdated undesirable information can have an immediate impact on your score, especially depending on the severity of the problem.
It may seem silly, but it is just as important to check things like your Social Security number, name, address, phone number, and information concerning your occupation. These mistakes might be outdated or simply entered incorrectly. These errors actually do occur. In the same way, errors also occur concerning your involvement with certain accounts. It is possible that suits or credit accounts that do not belong to you show up on your credit report. This is also true of accounts that have been paid in full. Sometimes these accounts may not have been updated and still show an outstanding balance.
By filling out a request for reinvestigation form or writing a letter, you can correct these errors that are detrimental to your overall credit score. You should, as carefully as possible, reference every inaccurate or outdated piece of data that appears on your report as well as describe why that information is incorrect. The reporting agency will then investigate those items and contact you within 30 days to notify you of any changes. This process may also be expedited if you are trying to qualify for a mortgage or car loan. This is known as a rapid rescore.
Once you have rid your free credit score report of any incorrect information, you can then begin to add positive information. This might be through a new loan, a secured credit card or simply making responsible payments on the accounts you already have. By double-checking your credit report for errors you might save yourself a great deal of time in the task of recreating your credit merit.
Author: Mike Clover
Posted in free credit score reports | Comments Off
October 9th, 2007
The paradox of improving or creating a credit score with the use of lines of credit may seem impossible. How are you going to prove your credit responsibility if no one will issue you a line of credit for doing just that? For people who find themselves in this situation, secured credit cards can be the answer. By using a secured credit card, an individual can demonstrate their ability to pay bills on time and use a card card responsibly.
Secured credit cards are issued when an applicant who has bad credit can offer some type of deposit or collateral for that amount of credit. This might be a deposit of a pre-arranged sum of money into a savings account, certificate of deposit, or money market. This way, the lender is covered if the applicant is not able to make payments, reducing the risk dramatically. This benefits the card holder by allowing them to create a credit history. Instead of spending cash, they can make purchases on the credit card and make responsible monthly payments to contribute to their overall credit score.
When using a secured line of credit, it is important for the cardholder to pay off the card in full every month. Just like any other card, interest will be charged on the outstanding balance of a secured credit card. The idea is to improve your credit score, not to acquire more debt. If an individual defaults on secured credit, the lender can then withdraw the defaulted amount from the security account to pay the debt. Though the debt will be paid, it may result in more damage to your credit rating. Be sure to discuss this with a potential secured credit lender to determine their policy on reporting to credit agencies.
When considering various lenders for a secured credit card, take the time to read the fine print and ask questions. Make sure you understand the interest rate that will be charged. You can expect for the rate on a secured card to be somewhat higher, but it should still be reasonable. Take every factor into account when making your decision. What are the grace periods, penalties for late payments, and any other fees that might be associated with the account.
Once you have obtained a secure credit card, diligently make payments on time and for the right amounts. After six months to a year of responsible credit use, many lenders will increase your limit, possibly even doubling it, which is great for your credit score. Continue to pay off the balance each month and your credit report will reflect the fact that you have more available credit that you are handling responsible.
Secured credit cards are a great way for people to get back on the right track. If you are serious about improving your credit or establishing a history, explore the possibility of a secured credit card. It is a great step toward teaching you to manage money more responsibly and showing lenders that you can.
CreditScoreQuick.com
Posted in free credit score reports | 3 Comments »
Disclaimer: This information has been compiled and provided by CreditScoreQuick.com as an informational service to the public. While our goal is to provide information that will help consumers to manage their credit and debt, this information should not be considered legal advice. Such advice must be specific to the various circumstances of each person's situation, and the general information provided on these pages should not be used as a substitute for the advice of competent legal counsel.
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