Credit repair is a service where a company or individual attempts to get detrimental information removed from your credit reports, usually in exchange for payment. These services are promoted usually saying they help people improve their credit score, credit report, and overall credit worthiness. Credit repair is an industry that is guided by federal laws such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act which govern what credit bureaus must do in certain situations.

Credit repair companies ma y say their services are help consumers remove inaccurate or unverifiable information from their credit reports. This is ultimately good for you as the consumer because good credit repair companies attempt to get not just negative, but also harmful, accurate credit information removed from your credit report before it would be removed naturally from your credit report.

If there is erroneous information on your report, the sooner you repair the damage, the better. This is especially true if you plan on purchasing a home or car within the next 6 months to a year. Obviously getting started sooner than later can save you a big money on financing rates over loan periods.

you would hope that would be the case, but unfortunately it doesn't generally work out that way. When you pay off an old debt, the negative item on your credit report won't be totally removed or just disappear. These items are typically listed as a delinquency that has been paid off, a charge-off, or a collections item. If you really want to fully repair your credit, unfortunately just paying off your debts won't do the job. Repairing bad credit is time consuming, difficult, and a major undertaking for most people.

The good Credit repair companies obtain and review your credit report from all of the major credit bureaus (TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax). They will then create a plan to fix incorrect, disputed, or out of date information on your report. They may also suggest other ways to improve your credit score.

Most companies will do some form of the following when they eview Your Credit Reports.

They typically look for credit issues such as:
•Accounts that aren't yours
•Duplicate accounts
•Incorrect inquiries
•Inaccurate accounts
•Inaccurate or outdated information

This corrupted information can wreak havoc on your credit score unfairly. It is always wise to periodically review your credit report as it will help you to find these inaccurate entries, hopefully before they affect your score. If you're credit has already been hurt by these inaccuracies, a professional credit repair company such as ours can help to fix things. Quality credit repair companies know what shows badly on your credit report and can save you a lot of time and effort in obtaining and reviewing each report line by line. They also know the legalities on how to deal with issues effectively.

Credit repair companies initiate legal disputes on all errors found on your credit reports. When a dispute is submitted, the company is requesting on your behalf that the credit bureau review the accuracy of the information on your credit report. The bureaus are required to either correct or remove it within 30 days if they're unable to verify it.

A respectable credit repair company will probably save you a lot of time and do a better job fixing your credit. They will put the onus on the credit reporting bureaus and do any needed legwork such as identify and gather needed information. They will also very importantly write and manage correspondence with the credit bureaus and creditors. They are the experts and know what to say and do legally to help you.

CurbsideGo offers a variety of service levels to match your unique needs. Some of these services we even offer for free.

The cost to repair a person's credit can vary widely based on the individuals needs and the company doing the work. Fees and payment arrangements for credit repair can vary as well. The first thing you might see is a one-time flat rate which we don't generally recommend, as companies who do this are often doing little if anything up front and taking your money without follow-up. Some companies bill you for each inaccuracy found, letter sent, or dispute initiated which we tend to think is nickle and diming you. Other companies such as Curbside Credit Repair set up a monthly payment arrangement for a length of time that covers everything you'll need.

If you enlist a quality credit repair company's services, you really should end up saving overall in the long run due to the improvement in your credit score. Remember, a poor credit score results in higher interest rates on financing and fewer available opportunities when shopping on credit. This costs you and many others a lot of money over time. Spending some money on credit repair with a quality company can potentially save you thousands of your hard earned dollars in the long run.

Credit repair results vary widely based on your current FICO® score, your personal financial situation, the amount of wrong information on your report, and many other things. Most people in need of credit repair use our services for at least six months.

A simple example might be a person with a few simple pieces of information on their credit report will often see results much quicker than someone who has multiple and complex issues that need a lot more time, disputes, and back and forth correspondence. Results vary greatly, but your CurbsideGo Credit Repair agent can probably give you a reasonably accurate estimate after speaking with you and seeing your reports.

The credit bureaus are legally obligated to correct or remove any errors or inaccuracies on your report that are reported to them within 30 days under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Just remember, it still may take longer to get an item removed due to response times and their disputing your dispute Again it all depends on your situation and other circumstance.

Sure. You can build your own Rocketship too. Just be aware that it may be difficult, time consuming and you may not get the results you intended. You might even go up in flames.

Technically, anyone can technically repair their own credit. Be aware that you need to know certain things and research laws and tactics to do it correctly. Some people do things that bring little to no benefit or bring more harm than good without knowing it. In most cases, an experienced credit repair professional will have much more experience and knowledge than you, most often leading to better and faster results. A reputable credit repair company will always inform you that you can do it yourself if you ask them. You may be able to do anything that a credit repair company does, but that doesn't mean you know what to do and how to do it best.

Trying to repair your credit without enlisting the help of a credit repair company or expert may hurt you if you don't know the laws, legal terms & references, and proper tactics. There are many things you can easily miss or do incorrectly if you aren't experienced and/or knowledgeable in the field.

An example of this might be if you put in a dispute with a credit bureau or bureaus, you might be wrongly denied for not providing pertinent information to prove your case, even if you're right.

Credit repair companies are not the same as credit counseling agencies. Credit Repair companies or professionals do what is described in our previous FAQ entry while Credit Counseling organizations are normally nonprofits dedicated to helping people learn more about credit for free. They generally advise about debt & financial management, help people get a free copy of their credit report, and offer other services that may help people get a handle on improving their finances and overall credit.

Credit bureaus generally consider anything above 650 to be a good credit score but banks, financial institutions, or other companies you may do business with may not agree and go by the same numbers. A very good score is generally considered to be anything over 720.

Credit bureaus generally consider anything below 580 to be a bad credit score.

The main and most widely used score is called your FICO® Score which is used in over 90% of lending decisions. Each of the three major credit bureaus also has a custom tailored credit score for individuals based on their unique credit information and other factors they deem important.

Credit scores usually start off at 300 and go up to around 850.

There are the 3 main credit reporting bureaus out there. They are Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian.

Yes, they can. As with other types of loans, student loans can affect and alter your score in positive and negative respects. Paying back student loans on time will help your score. Conversely, missing student loan payments or being late can cause substantial damage to be done to your credit profile.

Just 1 negative item on your credit could lower your score by over 100 points in some cases. Here is a list for reference.

Credit Score Decrease by Item Type
Late Payment - up to 110 points
Debt Settlement - up to 125 points
Foreclosure - up to 160 points
Bankruptcy - up to 240 points
Collection - up to 110 points
Hard Inquiry - up to 15 points

A negative item on your credit is anything that appears in your credit report or history that lowers or has the potential to lower your score. Examples would include things such as unpaid debts or collections, missing/late payments, bankruptcies, charge-offs, liens, repossessions, etc. Not everyone is aware that these items can be a result of divorce, identity theft, military leave, medical debt, and student debt. You may be able to have them removed fairly easily through credit repair.