Is Credit Repair Easy? How to Quickly Raise Your Credit Score WITHOUT Breaking a Sweat

Is credit repair easy, or is it going to take forever to see results? Am I better off attempting it for myself, or hiring a professional? And how quickly should I expect to see improvements to my credit score if I hire a "pro"? In this article we are going to take a quick and easy look at some common credit repair questions, and offer some honest answers that you can really use as well. Sound good? Continue reading as we take a closer look below!

Is credit repair a difficult process, or is it as easy as all of those ads and offer promise?

Good question! And the honest answer is, somewhere in between. The actual process of filing credit repair disputes is certainly easy enough, as is finding items to challenge on your report as well. There is a bit of a learning curve of course, and it DOES get more difficult with each successive set of disputes.

So the short answer is, if you only have one or two negative items on your report, or something that's very old.....you probably should expect a relatively easy process. If you have many negative items, you should expect a lengthy, more complicated and quite probably, a fairly frustrating process as well. (and these are the cases where professional help is probably preferable)(

The EASIEST way to improve your credit score without professional credit repair?

Believe it or not, simply paying down your EXISTING debts, on open accounts, is the best thing you can do for yourself. Why? Because a significant percentage of your credit score is factored on your existing debt to credit limit ratio....and if this is out of whack, you WILL see the ramifications on your FICO score immediately. (even if you've never missed a payment in your life)

Does paying down OLD debts work equally as well?

Absolutely NOT. As a matter of fact, one of the most common ways to make your credit score WORSE is to pay down closed accounts from years ago that were reported delinquent. This topic goes a bit beyond the scope of this article....but suffice it to say, you don't want to reactivate old accounts with new activity under any circumstances, without a good understanding of the law.

Other easy credit repair strategies?

Get a secured card if you can't qualify for existing loans or credit. Open a secured line of credit or installment loan at your bank, as well. (you would be securing it with the funds in your savings account) Some department stores offer easy applications and very high approval rates, even for folks who have had problems in the past. After you get a few new cards.....take a "credit break" and simply keep the cards open, with a low balance....and pay a nominal amount each month to make sure they remain in good standing. (but do use them at least once a month to show activity)

The bottom line?

Credit repair is not a mystery. It's not magic. It follows a very simple strategy and sequence of steps that have been proven to be effective for hundreds of thousands of people, over 2 decades or more. You CAN do it yourself, and it's not very difficult. That said, it's important to educate yourself ahead of time to make sure you DON'T cause yourself more problems than you bargained for.....which unfortunately, happens far too often than it should.