Based on your answers:

It’s in-demand and a growing need; the know-how to short-cut the 7yr waiting game…and have a credit score worth bragging about. 

There are those that have figured out how to escape the credit waiting game in a matter of months.  Your goals aren’t a “dream” after all.  Fixing your credit, raising your score—without waiting years—and doing it without any massive effort is attainable (even without the “know-how”) according to Adam from Galveston TX…

“It felt like being held back from even participating in the race, when I could see the prize so clearly.  Interest rates were the lowest in history—and I was on the sidelines because of my credit.  Even though I missed those ‘best interest rates in history’, I got the best rate of my life.  My face was priceless when we moved into a $405,000 home.  Denied, and then walking into our home five months later…”   

Most people have no idea that just one negative item on your credit file could cost you thousands of dollars and plenty of grief. Getting it removed could be the difference between SAVING thousands of dollars, or whether or not you even get approved in the first place.

Adam took a 100% commission job in another state during the pandemic.  Double-whammy!

The pandemic provided many people the opportunity to move where they had always wanted. Some stayed put, and others were trapped because of existing credit issues.  But it was all leading to another unforeseen problem that Adam and his wife (and thousands of other people) encountered: The most insane housing market in history.

“I (stupidly) took a job out of state and uprooted my entire family away from the only home they ever knew, all of their friends, and my wife’s family.  We rented while looking for a home.  Well, the market was crazy and that was bad enough, but here’s the real kicker…three months after we moved, the company folded.  Closed it’s doors—a pandemic casualty—and now, so was my family and I.”

Because the company abruptly shut down, Adam was left without a lot of commission owed to him.  

“Like an idiot, I believed that the company would make good on the money they owed me, and I used credit to float through and live on.”

The company never paid up, and Adam’s credit dried up.  That’s when a self-funded bailout turned into a literal credit nightmare.

“I landed a new job, a great job—steady income again (hooray!)—but the damage to my credit was done.  We were renting, we needed a home of our own, rates started climbing, and my credit had a ton of late payments, collections, and everything that would sound the alarm before ever approving me for a home loan...”

The housing market started to cool off, but the interest rates on home loans started to increase… Adam, like many others, was left in a tough spot. 

Applying for a loan with bad credit when rates are already high, is like marrying someone who you already know is no good for you—its only going to turn out worse in the long-run.

“I needed a minute.  I needed to feel the ground under me again now that I had steady income.  But that “minute” turned into weeks.  I was ignoring the situation, hoping it would fix itself (again), just like I did while I waited on the commission from my last job that never came.  I don’t know what I was waiting for…a magic fairy that would come and approve me for a loan and overlook my credit mistakes?”

This is the credit waiting game, and there are millions of people in line…waiting 7-10 years for their credit to fix itself.  Father-time to the rescue (more like Father-eternity.)

The credit reporting system is a bit harsh (a lot harsh).

You can hit someone while drunk driving and get out of prison faster than a credit mistake disappears from your credit report.  

“People will wait years, because paying off your debt doesn’t fix your credit, only time will.  At least that’s what I thought...

...Within months I was approved for a $405,000 home, and my credit score was in that ‘great’ bracket again.”

Credit items, the good and the bad, are reported on your credit report voluntarily.  Creditors voluntarily report “for” or “against” you.  Which means it’s also at their discretion to remove anything that has been reported.  The reporting agencies themselves have the same power based on your credit reporting rights.

“I wasn’t going to ignore the fact that my credit wasn’t going to fix itself, but I also didn’t know where to start.  I have a friend that runs a successful mortgage company.  He told me that they have applicants with credit issues all the time…how they refer them out, and then turn someone with bad credit into a credit-worthy applicant again.  I thought, refer them out… to where?”  

Lenders often have an in-house solution to help their credit applicants that did not qualify due to credit issues.  It’s in their best interest to help these applicants, and many of them end up approved. Other lending institutions use an outsourced company with a track-record of helping their applicants overcome credit issues, and they handle the process for them.  

"Up until this conversation, I thought that anything bad on your credit report was stuck there for years. Like some billboard that reads ‘This guy is a loser, kick him to the curb’.  After all, I’ve tried pleading my case to the credit bureaus, I’ve talked to my creditors…I never want to talk to any of them again actually, I have never wasted more time in my life.
...One conversation gave me insight into how multi-million-dollar lending institutions solve their applicants credit problems.  It was my exact situation.

He told me, ‘You need an accelerated dispute process, and you need to stay on top of every communication between the creditors and the credit bureaus’ as I looked back at him with a blank stare.”

Credit items on your credit report can be challenged, often even removed. It’s a tedious process that takes time. With knowledge and experience on how to accelerate the process and avoid unknowns, you could save a lot of time.  Adam, didn’t know what he needed or even what his options were…

“Noticing my blank stare he said, ‘if I were you, I would just have it done for me…unless you have the time and willingness to learn a lot about the process.  We use a company that takes care of our applicants - they handle everything, and people see increases in their credit score from 50 to over 100 points.’  I felt hopeful about this for the first time.”

You can’t take years of experience, millions invested in tools, research, and resources, and expect to learn all of that on your own.  People coming out of the pandemic and facing credit issues have an uphill battle by themselves, and it can feel hopeless. 

This is exactly why multi-million-dollar lending institutions rely on outside experts that have experience and infrastructure already developed to help their applicants struggling with credit issues… to avoid that battle.

“I followed his advice.  I continued to crush it at my job while they fixed my credit.  I applied within months and was approved for a home that’s perfect for us…and I’ve never looked back.  I was denied and walking into a $405,000 home of our own, I have my confidence and a life again.  I would tell anyone recovering from hardship that you do it one thing at a time, brick by brick, and any help you can get, take it.”

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 Author comments:

I’ve read countless stories of people…pouring their hearts out to the credit bureaus, only to 'cement' the derogatory remarks for good.  And have also heard stories of good credit scores getting ruined by the 'well-meaning' advice people find on the Internet.

You have probably already looked into fixing your credit yourself… only to realize that it's a much bigger can of worms than it might seem.  Yet, credit issues are often the biggest problem in the way of failed loan applications.  

Often, the issue is time.  Maybe you’re in the market to buy a home, worried about getting clobbered by sky-rocketing rates.  Maybe it’s an auto loan you’re thinking about because you really need a new car.  Or you’re coming out of the pandemic with a ton of battle scars on your credit report.  You want better credit and time is not on your side.  If you find yourself in a similar situation – follow this advice:

Hope is not a tactic.  Take action.  The faster you act, the more you can spare yourself from further suffering down the line. 

Have savings.  If you find yourself in a tough spot, you’ll be glad you saved.  Typically, three months’ worth of expenses is a good starting point. 

Your credit is not a life sentence.  Where do you need your credit score to be in the next 60 days, 90 days, or in the months ahead?  What disaster awaits if you ignore it, or are you waiting on a magic fairy to overlook your credit and approve you for the things you want?  Start planning now for where you want to eventually be, and if possible, leverage the expertise of someone else to fix your credit, instead of re-inventing the wheel yourself.  (If you have credit issues and a low credit score, learn more about the service...the same experts that helped Adam.)