Your credit score is one of the most important numbers in your life. It determines how much you will pay for car loans, mortgages, and credit cards. A high credit score means that you are a low-risk borrower, which means you will get the best interest rates and terms available. In this blog post, we will discuss six simple steps that you can take to improve your credit score.
Don’t open any new lines of credit:
The length of your credit history makes up 15% of your FICO® Score—that’s huge! So, if you are thinking about opening a new credit card, think again. It may sound like a good idea—get a new card with a bigger limit and start racking up points—but it will actually have a negative impact on your credit score. A new credit card will lower the average age of your accounts, which will in turn lower your credit score. Additionally, lenders will see that you have opened a new account and may be concerned that you will rack up debt and not be able to pay it off.
Use less than 30% of your available credit:
Credit utilization is one of the key factors that lenders look at when considering your creditworthiness. Simply put, it is the amount of your available credit that you are using at any given time. For example, if you have a credit limit of $1000 and a balance of $500, your credit utilization would be 50%. As a general rule, you should aim to keep your credit utilization below 30% in order to maintain a good credit score. This shows lenders that you are a responsible borrower who is not overextending yourself.
Set up automatic payments:
Automatic payments are a great way to ensure that your bills are paid on time. You can set up automatic payments for most bills, including your mortgage, car payment, credit card bill, and utility bills. There are several benefits to setting up automatic payments. First, you’ll never have to worry about forgetting to pay a bill or making a late payment. Second, you can avoid costly late fees and interest charges. Finally, automatic payments can help improve your credit score by ensuring that your bills are paid on time each month. If you’re looking for a way to save time and money, setting up automatic payments is a great option.
Ask for higher credit limits:
This can be especially effective if your current limits are relatively low. By increasing your limits, you’ll be lowering your credit utilization ratio, which is the proportion of your available credit that you’re using. Since this is one of the factors that lenders look at when considering a loan application, a lower ratio can help to improve your chances of being approved. Additionally, a higher credit limit can also help to improve your score by giving you more flexibility in how you use your credit.
Don’t close any credit cards you don’t use:
When you’re trying to build up your credit, it may seem like a good idea to cancel any old credit cards or debts that you no longer use. After all, why keep them around if you’re not using them? However, this is actually not the best approach. It’s actually better for your credit report to have open lines of credit that you don’t use than it is to have paid off, closed cards. This is because creditors want to see that you’re able to manage multiple lines of credit responsibly. So, even if you’re not using them, it’s actually better to keep those old cards and debts open. That way, you can show creditors that you’re a responsible borrower who knows how to manage credit wisely.
Become an authorized user:
One way to improve your credit score is to become an authorized user on someone else’s credit card. This can be a family member or friend with good credit. As an authorized user, you’ll have access to the credit card account and will be able to make charges. The account holder is responsible for making payments, but the activity will be reported on your credit report. This can help to improve your credit score by demonstrating that you’re capable of managing credit responsibly.
Improving your credit score takes time and patience, but following these six simple steps can help you on your way. By monitoring your credit report regularly and working to improve your credit history, you’ll be well on your way to a better credit score. Remember to stay patient and keep up the good work; before you know it, you’ll have a high credit score that opens doors for future opportunities. You may even see an improvement in your interest rates and approval chances for future loans.
Need extra help? Send me an e-mail atedavis@guildmortgage.net. If I can’t help you out directly, I’ll point you in the right direction so that financing your dream home is a breeze! When do you want to get started?
