If you want to prevent credit repair
problems, you need to keep your payments up to date. Financial emergencies may come up, so it is important that you meet minimal payments on time.
If you have utilities, house payment, car payment, or other dues try to knock them out to avoid complications. If you are in debt over your head and have very little
or no income and no assets it might be wise to do nothing, Sounds insane, but the reality is when
if you are taking to court most of the collectors won't be able to
collect a dime from you since you have nothing to take.
This procedure is called 'judgment proof.' If you elect this procedure you won't go to jail
for not paying your creditors. There are other advantages by acting on the 'judgment proof,'
claim such as the Federal Laws protect you against creditors coming to your home and
trying to confiscating your belongings. The downside is you are not resolving anything and in the long run you won't get credit
or be rebuilding your score.
On the other hand if you want to face your credit problems, you can take several steps to build your credit
and improve your score. If you have an attitude "it doesn't matter how much I owe, I am in debt and can't get out." Then you probably should take the 'judgment proof' method. However if you have an attitude "How much do I owe so I can work to resolve
this." Then you are on the road to rebuilding your credit.
Start by over viewing the current bills that you receive
each month. You can also call the companies that sent you the bill to find out how much you
currently owe. Once you have totaled your bills, and find an amount that you can pay each month toward all the bills owed
and present it to the creditors and see if you can get them to agree to
this amount moving forward.
You can also get reports of your credit from Trans Union, Equifax, and Experian, however unless you have recently applied for a loan and were turned down you won't get these reports free
(unless you have not asked for them within the last year, the law allows
you a FREE copy once a year).
You can go online to check out the various sources that offer credit reports, and some places enable you to get all three reports for around $19. This is wise
investment since the more you apply for loans or any source of credit, the more it goes against your credit score. The credit score is more important than the rating.
When it comes to dealing with credit repair or credit building, you have several options available. If you are in debt for more than $10,000 and your future doesn't look promising, you can always file bankruptcy. Be alert that bankruptcy doesn't necessary mean that you are out of debt, rather it means that the courts will decide on
whether to discharge everything or set up a monthly fee that you can afford to repay your debts
with.
Some debts are dropped in bankruptcies, depending on your lawyer and what he⁄she can do for you. You could also
consider applying for a consolidation loan, which is a better route than bankruptcy in the sense you promise to the lenders that you will pay a certain amount each month until the debts are paid in full.
It pays to shop around if you are going this route, since some lenders charges fees to get you out of debt, as well as some lenders
who do not work hard to get you affordable monthly installments. The last thing you need is to be paying more than you can afford each month. If you have assets, such as a house or car, you might want to sell
them to raise money to get out of debt.
This almost always works out in your best interest. If you can't afford payments in the first place, you have nothing to loose
getting rid of an asset that is keeping you in over your head. Once you sell your item then you can payoff any other debts you may have and work toward building your credit
again.
The more effort you make in building your credit
score and history, the more opportunities you will have of reestablishing your credit rating. If you are struggling to get out of debt be sure to set up a budget for yourself so that you are not going in deeper. When you are in debt small sacrifices or even big sacrifices
are needed in order to repair and rebuild your credit score and ratings.
Additional
Articles that will greatly assist you with your credit and obtaining
financing. Options to Avoid in Credit Repair and Building Building Credit Ideas Avoiding Declines by Repairing Credit
NWC Leasing Home Page |