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Company
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BBB Rating | Years of Exp | Our Rating | Visit Site | Read Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyBlue Credit | A+ | 26 | 98/100 | Learn more | Read Review |
| Lexington Law | A+ | 10 | 97/100 | Learn more | Read Review |
| CreditRepair.com | A | 7 | 91/100 | Learn more | Read Review |
Your credit score is one of the most significant numbers in your life, especially if you are in the prime of life and looking to buy a home, acquire rental property, or purchase a car. For many of us, our credit score is that obscure number that does not really come into focus or demand our attention until we realize exactly how important it is to getting a loan on major purchases in our lives. Bad credit is surprisingly common among the U.S. public. Unfortunately, most people do not put any focus, much less do something to improve it, until it has already had a devastating impact and need urgent help to improve the damage. Finding the best credit repair company near you can seem like a daunting task but there are three services that stand out above the rest.
Our experts have researched extensively into Sky Blue Credit and they actually do deliver results quickly, efficiently, and affordably. Sky Blue has been offering credit repair and restoration services since 1989. They maintain an A+ BBB (Better Business Bureau) rating which is very impressive and reassuring, especially for a company that has been in business for decades. There are hundreds of positive, 5 star reviews from customers who have used them with successful results. Best of all, they have a 90 day, risk-free, money back guarantee offer so you really cannot go wrong with using with them. Their customer service is impressive from start to finish as they are highly professional and polite offering support that stands above other companies. Sky Blue Credit is a reputable company that we highly recommend as they stand behind their work and put customers first to get the best results possible.
As a highly respected credit repair company in this competitive industry, Lexington Law is a trusted firm that has managed to hold its leading position by sheer hard work and uncompromising service. With over 26 years of experience in this industry, they have helped millions of customers improve their credit scores and repair their credit successfully. With a free credit audit and evaluation for all clients, Lexington Law offers a valuable service that will get you on your way to financial health quickly.
Click Here for a Free Credit Summary and Consulatation with Lexington Law
Since launching in 1997, CreditRepair.com has managed to make a name for themselves by offering a comprehensive range of services that not only helps improve credit, but also provides tools to encourage positive financial lifestyle changes for a solid financial future. They offer 24/7 credit monitoring alongside a custom dashboard for easy tracking of your score online. With customized tools and an educational approach, their service is very effective for a long-term strategy to maintaining healthy credit. CreditRepair.com has helped hundreds of thousands of customers with bad credit. Although their service is priced slightly higher when you compare it with their peers, they do add value by offering more than the typical credit repair service package.
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For many, the truth about having a poor credit score only hits home with shocking force when the person suddenly finds themselves unable to get a loan at reasonable terms. For others whose credit score is in worse shape, getting a legitimate loan may be impossible. Getting rejected from reliable, trustworthy lenders due to posing such a serious credit risk becomes a reality. After hitting these hurdles, it is then that the average American comes to the realization that this powerful number can literally call the shots in life.
So why is it so important to ensure a healthy credit score? It is very, very important for every American to worry about his credit score, irrespective of stage of life, age, financial status, future financial plans or lifestyle preferences. Let’s tell you why.
Or, if we rephrase that: why do you need to invest attention NOW into your credit health or fixing your bad credit. Your credit score is essentially the barometer of your credit worthiness. It tells businesses whether or not you are a responsible person when it comes to finances and overall, too. After all, if your credit report shows that you are maxed out on credit cards or have late fees, it indicates a risk to them loaning you money for large purchases. It also shows a lack of control and whether or not you take important things seriously. Imagine what kind of an impression a low credit score gives a future employer whom is deciding whether he wants to give you that position you are aiming for? Yes, employers often run a check of the prospective employee’s credit and guess what they look at? You got it- Your credit report! Okay, so you already have a job and you are not planning on job searching anytime soon. How about renting a home? Are you planning on doing that in the near future? Well, your landlord will probably check your credit report, too. After all, he needs to know if you have been paying your bills on time. He will also want to know if you are in a financially sound position and can afford rental payments regularly. If he sees mention of collections proceedings or bankruptcies in your credit report, he red flags you immediately and probably does not want you anywhere near his property. And yes, anyone you have approached for a loan looks at your credit report because it tells them whether you are a good credit risk, that is, you are a low risk customer for them, meaning that you will pay back on time and also pay back fully. NO lender wants to make a loss on a loan account and any negatives on your credit report tell him that you are a bigger risk than it may appear. So, there are two options open to him- either rejects your application because you present too much risk- far more than he is willing to take on. Option two, he hikes the interest rates, imposes far more restrictions on the loan so that it makes sense for him to take on the additional risk. Either way, you are the loser. Did you know that if you want the utilities connected and you have really bad credit, you may have to put up a deposit before you get the people to come home and connect you? No, it does not always happen, but yes, there is a definite possibility. Have we convinced you that having poor credit score is definitely something that is completely undesirable? Great, now let’s put aside all the doomsday predictions of what happens when your credit score is low down below and get to the practical part. What is a good score and what is a bad score?
In mid- 2015, The Street put out an article describing how the average American consumer credit is ‘inching upward’ with more consumers holding excellent credit scores of 800 and above. A heartening 19.9% did, in fact, compared to the 16.9% who held such scores back in the end of 2005. Even better news, the national average of FICO scores was at an all- time high of 695. The number of consumers with scores below 550 has been on the decline too, indicating that they have actually moved up the ladder. In general, older people, above the age of 55, tend to have higher scores than people in the huge 18 to 44 bracket. When you look at the scores by state, it becomes clear that education plays a role in the credit score as well. The states with a more educated population show a better average credit score. Let’s break down the scores this way:
So your objective is to bring your credit score up to the “Great” Category because that’s when you have lenders literally queuing up to give you loans!
Before you start working toward improving your credit score, what really helps is knowing how exactly these scores are calculated. What factors are taken into account to determine the score? To start with, the duration over which you have held the accounts (open ones), or their age, is factored in. If you have an account that has been open for 5 years and you have paid on time with this account, it’s a huge asset to your credit score when you compare it with an account that you have opened just last month but still paid on time. Older accounts with great standing show that you have been consistently responsible about your finances. The amount to which your open accounts are paid down, that is, the difference between the sum you borrowed and the present day balance, shows your ability to repay your debts. This is another factor that is considered. The variety of credit that you rely on also matters and you score better if you are not dependent on just one or two types of credit. That said; make sure you don’t start opening a variety of accounts right away just to increase your score. This will actually have the exact opposite effect because you will suddenly have tons of debts with no payment history. Have a few different types of credit but also pay attention to how much you have in unpaid balances, in total. Last but certainly not the least is your payment history which gets maximum weight in calculating your score. When you have a history of paying back your bills on time consistently, your credit score soars and when you frequently forget to pay bills or balances, pay beyond due date regularly or fail to pay in full, you damage your credit score quite drastically. This is when you should start looking into hiring a specialist who has great reviews and sign them up to carry out some speedy, effective repairs to fix your score. What you need to know here is that all credit repair services are not created equal and they cannot all give you the same level or quality of credit restoration solutions. In fact, there are many so- called pros and Credit repair gurus claiming astounding results but a lot of it turns out to be false advertising. That is exactly why you should give deep thought to the question of ‘what is the best credit repair company’ for me.
The Washington Post carried a very interesting article about the increasing number of credit repair agencies in 2015. According to the writer, the Federal Trade Commission has warned that many credit repair agencies make ‘highly questionable claims’. There are over 6000 such companies in business today and some of them are Mom & Pop type firms that do not have the expertise or tools to dispute errors successfully. The FTC has followed up more than 150 cases against such companies in the past ten years but the number of complaints it receives is a whopping 2000, every year. Many credit repair firms have been asked to pay penalties but a number of them have been unable to do so because the owners have no money. The problem is that a number of customers who have had very bad experiences with credit repair firms do not bring it to the notice of either the FTC or the common public. This is exactly why simply comparing online reviews from customers of various credit companies is not a very reliable way to find the really sound specialists and experts who can actually give you results. What you need is a truly objective review of each based on a ranking system that factors in much more than customer reviews of each service provider. And that’s what we can do for you. We make the job simpler for you with our top 10 credit repair companies list which not only ranks these experts based on online credit repair reviews but many more factors that actually translate into better results for you.
Many of us are blissfully unaware of the true impact of this problem until it is way too late. It is only when your loan application is rejected or you miss out on a job opportunity or your loans get prohibitively expensive that you realize that something is drastically wrong. By this time, your credit score may be so low that it all seems rather hopeless to you. Thankfully, it is never hopeless, no matter how low your score is. It is under such circumstances that so many Americans turn to credit repair agencies, often in an ‘emergency situation’ where they need to pull up the score quickly before they take out a loan. The unfortunate part is that many credit repair services take advantage of the crisis situation and rope in customers without making full disclosure of what they can and will do for them. It is up to you, the customer, to play it smart and understand what you are getting before you actually pay them your hard earned money. So what exactly should you getting out of your credit repair company? The primary objective of a credit repair agency is to get the negative items removed from your credit report. These negative entries could be delayed payments, repossessions, liens on your assets, foreclosures, or any others. What we have done is to research the most well- known of these firms to find those with the best client satisfaction rates and best service offerings. We have used a special ranking methodology wherein we assess many factors such as: average number of negative entries, customer satisfaction, the duration taken to deliver results and cost implications. After careful assessment and ranking, we bring to you the 2016 list of best credit repair agencies along with a quick overview of each company.
This is a very common question that many people ask and there is good reason for the query because credit repair companies do charge you for their services. We have carried out detailed research on these businesses and have also reviewed their success rates and customer testimonials. Based on these inputs, we conclude that these services do in fact work as these are reputable businesses with a strong track record of success.
Let us reiterate that all credit repair companies do not give you great results. Even the reliable ones do not all work in the same way. They use different methodologies which means they have different results, too.
For example, Lexington Law claims to get 10 errors rectified on an average from its clients’ reports. Others may not give you this guarantee. Many services, especially the reputable ones, offer money-back guarantee if they fail to meet your expectations. Many also offer free case evaluation to give your specific case a detailed look and tell you what they can do before you are asked to sign up for the service.
If you do hire a credit repair firm, this is what they will do. In fact, you should ask them to give you a clear outline of what they will do and how. They usually follow several steps in order to identify, dispute and repair your credit report. This is what they may do:
1. Access a copy of the credit report from the three credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion
2. Assess the reports thoroughly and compare them side- by- side to identify errors and omissions that should be disputed
3. Send a dispute letter to the relevant credit bureau using their time testing strategies that improve success rate
4. Interact with creditors as well as the credit bureaus to eliminate the errors quickly
The prices vary from service provider to service provider. But on an average, you may be paying anywhere between $59 and $100 per month. Typically, you are not locked into the service and you can quit at any time.
When you have a bad credit score, your interest rates are through the roof and that is a cost that you keep paying over and over again as long as your score is bad. Hiring a credit repair company that can offer good results in a short period of time is definitely worth your while.
