While it’s just a number on paper, your credit score is one of the most important figures in your financial life. It will determine who will lend you money, which affects your ability to buy a house, lease a car and nearly every other major financial transaction you will make. Credit agencies are infamous for putting debts on the wrong credit reports and making other big mistakes, which can leave you stuck with a bad credit score that you didn’t earn. That’s when it’s time to look at credit repair companies.
There are various errors and life events that can affect your credit score and require the services of credit repair companies. These include deleted payments, collection services, charge offs, bankruptcies, mortgage foreclosures, repossessions, tax issues, student loans and credit-related inquiries.
If you are in the unfortunate position of having a bad credit score for whatever reason credit repair companies can help you rebuild your credit and get things back on track. But when you are looking for a credit repair company, there are certain things you should look for to make sure you get a good one that will deliver on its promises and get your credit back in shape.
Firstly, you should make sure that the credit repair company is a trustworthy and respected business, and not just some fly-by-night operation. A good credit repair company should make all its contact information available on its website so you can easily contact them. You should also make sure the business is registered in the state where it operates; is bonded; and that it has been in business for at least a few years.
The best credit repair companies are owned or run by a lawyer or law firm with extensive experience in consumer protection laws. Hiring a firm such as this will give you the best chance of restoring your credit successfully. A good way to seek out company like this is to ask for referrals from friends and family or look online for reviews of credit repair companies. It is also a good sign if the company provides testimonials from customers on their site and offers a money back guarantee on their services.
When you contact a credit repair company, it’s a good idea to ask about the process they go through to restore your credit. Do they just send out dispute letters to credit bureaus or do they use consumer protection laws to create a plan that makes credit bureaus, collection agencies and credit providers to fall in line with consumer protection laws? The latter is provides you with the best opportunity to restore your credit.
Ideally, good credit repair companies should provide you with comprehensive credit repair services. This includes a variety of methods, including: applying advanced dispute tactics, looking at the five factors that make up your credit score instead of focusing only on your payment history, disputing all entries that might be damaging your credit, providing expert personal counseling, teaching you how to build and maintain a good credit record, and explaining good money management techniques.
If you are looking at credit repair companies, there’s a good chance that you are experiencing some kind of financial difficulties. So you may be wondering, how much is credit repair going to cost me and will it even be worth the cost?
You can expect to pay a one-time enrollment fee of at least a couple hundred dollars and then a recurring monthly payment in the $100 range while you are receiving services. This of course varies from company to company, but be sure to research any business that says it can repair your credit for significantly less. There are a lot of credit repair scams out there, and always remember that you get what you pay for. Many credit repair companies also offer a month-to-month payment plan instead of a long-term contract, which can give you the flexibility you need.
When it comes to your financial life, your credit score is the heart of it. If your credit is suffering through no fault of your own, or because of unfortunate circumstances you’ve encountered, credit repair companies can help you heal and get your finances back in order again.