I'm going to discuss something today that I NEVER talk about...Credit and finances.
I've always thought that when I get married, my husband and I will buy a home with the white picket fence and the two cars in the garage. (No kids though, since the birthing process freaks me smooth out.) But, recently, I've taken a look at my life and thought, "I'm 34 years old, it's time to take matters into my own hands."
So, the other day I decided it was time to start thinking about buying either a townhome or condo. (I would rather one of these than a house as I do not have a green thumb and usually your HOA fees cover the roof, lawn maintenance, and other little things I have no desire to take care of.) I live in the Clear Lake area. For those of you not familiar with Houston, the Clear Lake area is south of Houston, I actually live down the road from NASA. In this area condos and townhomes are PLENTIFUL. So, I talked to the mortgage broker that helped The Mother get her home loan, he ran my credit, which because of stupid mistakes is not so stellar, and I found out that it's not as bad as I thought it was. It's not great, but it could be worse. Anyway, he told me that if I can raise my credit rating 30 points I should be good to go.
So, I have a new mission...get my credit in order.
I really am ready for a place for Rogen and me, somewhere that's mine. It's kind of scary, but I know I can do it.
So, here's a question for any of you out there that know anything about finance/money/credit...how hard is it to raise your score by 30 points and if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears. (Or eyes, since I'll be reading your comments.)
Until next time...
Mandy
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Home Sweet Home
Posted by Amanda at 6:58 AM
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2 comments:
I think it's great that you're looking at getting your own place!!! 30 points is not much at all. Get a copy of your report from some place like freecreditreport.com (remember to cancel the membership before they start charging and be FIRM because they will try to talk you out of cancelling) and contact all the outstanding discrepancies on the report about either paying off the charges if they are small or settling for a lesser amount. If you settle for a lesser amount, they can often times put you on a payment plan to take you out of negative standing. I did this a few years ago. I couldn't believe I had some ridiculous late fee or annual fee on a credit card I closed in 1999 for a whopping $12 that was still on my credit report because they reissued the debt to a collection agency. I had moved so many times since then that there was no way to let me know I had a balance. Stupid things like that are easy to clear up.
Good Luck!!!
Rice Spice has GREAT info!
If you find nothing like that on your report - make extra efforts to pay off something. Maybe a Penney's account...or Old Navy. Take the smallest balance you're working on and do your damnedest to pay it off...then go from there. You'll be a homeowner in NO TIME.
I got my "approval letter" from my mortgage person My 11 last year and closed on my townhome on July 2. Once it happens, it happens FAST! Hold on tight and luck-a-doo to you!
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