If we haven't met yet, my name is Joe Mahlow, and I've spent a good amount of time in the Personal Finance and Credit industry. I write about various topics that are important to me and to my many followers who enjoy my content. Today, I'd like to touch on the topic of Credit Repair for free, which I receive many questions about from my clients. While it's certainly possible to repair your credit for free, I must caution you that it usually comes with a lot of hard work. However, if you're ready to put in the effort, you can save yourself money and time. So, without further ado, let's dive into it.
Table of Contents
Getting Credit Repair Services at No Charge
How do I fix my credit score for free?
Using Credit Repair Cloud Software for Free
Obtaining Free Credit Repair by Utilizing Your Credit Reports
The Effectiveness of Credit Repair in Boosting Your Credit Score
Concluding Remarks
Getting Credit Repair Services at No Charge
It might seem too good to be true when a person or organization promises free credit repair services. More often than not, there is always more than they are letting on in their advertisements. People or businesses do not offer this service without an underlying motive. For example, I had zero clients when I started in the credit repair industry 15 years ago. I could only get noticed and prove my services' worth by providing free credit repair to some clients. Although I offered the service for free, I wanted to receive testimonials or reviews from them.
Today, my company, ASAP Credit Repair, still offers free credit repair services, but only for the first round of services. However, clients still need to enroll and pay the service fee to get started. As you would expect, anything you get for free comes at a cost.
If you want to repair your credit for free, you can take a DIY (do it yourself) approach. However, you must be willing to set aside at least 1-2 hours per month for three to five months to complete the credit repair. Therefore, I recommend that everyone dispute their credit reports for free. However, if you do not have the time to embark on this, you could always find a credit repair service or company near you to help you with your repair. Credit repair services can cost a typical customer between $400 and $600 on average.
How do I fix my credit score for free?
Repairing your credit score yourself is not as complicated as you might think, but it can be a little time-consuming. It is important to resist the urge to dispute your credit reports online, as this can be quite counterproductive.
Disputing your credit report online relinquishes your ability to dispute it more than once a year, and the process itself is often ineffective and outdated.
The credit repair process requires about 70% of your time to research and pull your credit reports, with the remaining 30% spent drafting up your credit disputes.
Follow these steps to repair your credit score by yourself for free:
-Access your credit reports online! Use a credit report provider that provides the most available data to find all the possible errors on your credit report. Some good options are IdentityIQ or self-service sites from credit bureaus like Equifax, Experian, and Transunion.
-Understand what disputing means. Get familiar with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) to understand your rights.
- Draft up your dispute letter, ignoring the advice you get from so-called "credit repair gurus" online. Create a dispute letter via Google Docs or by handwriting one. Google the Credit Reporting Agencies Addresses (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion) and use the Creditor’s Address at the bottom of the credit report. In the letter, provide your name, address, date of birth, and the last four digits of your social security number. Identify the account name and account number you are disputing and request that the account be validated with proof of authorization, such as a Credit Application or the ledger balance history and all monthly billing statements provided to you.
-Wait 30 days. If they do not provide the proof of each account you disputed via mail, send a secondary dispute letter via certified mail explaining that you did not receive the requested documents and that you want the account deleted (if it's a charge-off or collection) or the late payment history removed (if it's an account with late payments).
-Repeat the last step as often as necessary until you get the desired results. If you need help, consider contacting reputable credit repair firms such as ASAP Credit Repair.
Remember to keep it simple and to the point when drafting up your disputes. You can do a Google search for dispute template letters to see what a structure looks like but never use any template letters online.
Using Credit Repair Cloud Software for Free
When entering the credit repair industry, the first step is to search for a tool that simplifies drafting effective dispute letters. One piece of software that stands out is Credit Repair Cloud (CRC), which assists credit repair companies and individuals in resolving their credit issues. CRC provides a free 30-day trial that enables users to generate dispute letters. This not only grants individuals the opportunity to tackle their credit repairs independently at no cost but also allows them to access relevant and informative credit repair resources. Additionally, CRC offers a variety of dispute letters, tactics, and reasons, enabling users to customize their dispute responses to specific accounts. However, the free trial only allows access to the CRC's first-round dispute letters. Therefore, users must create letters or upgrade by paying to complete the credit repair process. Finally, it is worth noting that about ten other credit repair software options are available, so users should explore these alternatives and find the most suitable for their requirements. Who knows? Once you become adept at the procedure, you might even start a credit repair business and help others experiencing similar challenges!
Obtaining Free Credit Repair by Utilizing Your Credit Reports
A crucial step in repairing your credit for free is to obtain copies of your credit reports from all three credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). Initially, keeping the dispute process simple is recommended; later on, you may choose to dispute with all of the reporting agencies and data furnishers as you gain more knowledge about credit repair.
It is not only important to access your credit reports to identify derogatory accounts that you will use in disputes, but the question of which credit report to use is also important. Is there a preference?
The short answer is yes. Having used various types of credit reports, it is evident that they are not created equal. Generally, most lenders who approve loans will pull your Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) report. However, obtaining the FICO report is expensive; therefore, gaining access to the best Vantage score report is recommended instead. The Vantage score report is less expensive and provides the same data as the FICO report.
Which credit report should you use for credit repair? IdentityIQ provides the most effective credit reports based on our experience. Although the data feed that provides this information is similar to other Vantage Scoring Reports, IdentityIQ provides more data, which can help you identify more overall errors on your credit report and usually leads to better results.
Is IdentityIQ the only recommendation for effective credit repair? No, as long as you access all three credit reports from a reputable credit monitoring site, you can use any report you prefer. However, our clients have had higher success rates with IdentityIQ reports than other traditional sites.
The Effectiveness of Credit Repair in Boosting Your Credit Score
To answer whether credit repair can help improve your credit score, the answer is a resounding yes. However, credit repair is just one piece of the puzzle regarding raising your credit scores. Maintaining a healthy credit history and payment records is equally important to keep advancing your credit scores. Inaccurate account information can be removed, but this is rarely possible unless the account has errors or inaccuracies.
So, what specific aspects of credit repair can assist in improving your credit score?
1.Removing negative payment history or negative accounts is likely to help increase your credit score.
2. Positive installments and revolving accounts may contribute to a significant increase in your credit score.
3.You can maintain excellent credit by ensuring good payment records on active accounts.
4.Establishing credit and enhancing your payment history can ensure credit repair has the maximum effect on your credit scores.
5. Using a secured credit card is an excellent way to build credit quickly if you have limited credit.
To sum up, credit repair is an excellent tool for improving your credit score. However, it is equally important to maintain healthy credit habits, pay your bills on time, and keep credit card balances low to ensure the best possible outcomes.
Concluding Remarks
After working in the industry for 15 years, I have come across different situations where individuals lack the motivation to initiate the credit repair process due to a lack of understanding. My recommendation is to take the first step and take action, which could range from learning about credit repair and drafting your first dispute letter to considering a professional credit repair company. Avoid being complacent and taking no action. Taking the initiative to repair your credit could save you thousands of dollars in paid interest over the coming years. If you are unsure about where to start searching for a credit repair company, feel free to explore ASAP Credit Repair for a free consultation and evaluation. Our aim is to assist clients in quickly repairing and rebuilding their credit.