Tips To Improve Your Credit!

We all know that a high credit score can help streamline life events like buying a house or landing a new job. But do you know how to boost your score? Try these four moves to give it a quick lift.

Fix Credit Errors -- Don't wait for a lender to check your credit before reviewing it yourself. Request a credit report from each of the three major bureaus every year, reviewing the accuracy of your ... View more personal info, credit limits and the open or closed status of each account. Dispute any errors immediately.

Ask for Forgiveness -- If you have blemishes on your credit, try clearing them up. Negotiate paying an old debt if the creditor will mark your account "paid as agreed." For a late payment on a long-held account, write the creditor, acknowledge your otherwise good history and ask for a goodwill adjustment that will wipe it from your credit report.

Make Strategic Repayments -- You may not be able to pay off your credit cards quickly, but you can strategically pay them down. Start by dividing each card balance by its limit. Demonstrate restraint to lenders by keeping each card balance below 30 percent. If your card debts are higher, make a plan to pay balances down to reach a more desirable ratio.

Increase Your Credit -- Another way to reduce your debt-to-income ratio is to ask for an increased limit. It's a bit of a numbers game, but if you keep future spending in check, you can end up with a lower ratio. (Experts say this ratio accounts for up to one-third of your credit score.)    

1. Pick the right agent for you! You need someone who will educate you on the process and be willing to answer your questions. In addition, you need an agent who will tell you the truth about the market and listen to your thoughts and opinions. Remember, YOU are the EXPERT on your house and your agent is the EXPERT on the MARKET.
2. Pack up anything in your house that you won't need in the next couple of months. This will make your rooms seem bigger. Remove any tired furniture or add accessories like new pillows to put new life into older furniture.
3. If you want top dollar for you home then go through and fix, clean, and replace anything that needs attention. Buyers look at items that need to be fixed and assume it will cost twice as much to fix or they might assume you didn't take care of your house.
4. Make sure your agent has professional level photos of your home that showcase the best angles. Remember, your first showing is always on-line and one bad picture could scare away your perfect buyer.
5. When your agent puts your home on the MLS for all the world to see their is a special private section for agent remarks. This is the most under-utilized marketing tool! Make sure your agent shares something special about the house in this section. For example, home comes with a 1 year home warranty OR Home has extra carpet and paint in the closet that matches the brand new carpet/paint in the home. Don't let buyers miss ANY detail of your home that adds value!
6. Work with a low-ball offer. Sometimes buyers submit low offers to see how desperate the seller is to sell. Don't get upset. Counter with a more acceptable offer- they might accept it! Its ok to go back and forth with low ball offers because you might get a real offer in during that time and then you will be in multiple offers!
7. Listen to your real estate agent! You can talk to friends and family, but your agent does this everyday. You can always question your agent on anything, but just make sure at the end of the day you are on the same page.
8. Start looking for homes once your house is on the market. You need a plan of action so you don't end up homeless!
Good luck on the sale of your property! If you have had a positive experience or a negative experience (now or in the past) I would love to hear about it! I offer free advice to anyone who has questions. I love real estate and helping people!

Contact me with questions and get free advice or local help- allisondeal@kw.com