@takeshi74 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Itching to applyDon't app just because of an itch.
@Anonymous wrote:
But 9 of my 15 inquiries are about to hit that 1 year mark and I'm itching to apply for some prime cards. Just paid down some cc debt from 80% uti to just about 50%. I know my experian is 643 and I can't wait to see what it looks like with those inquiries hitting 1 year. I know, I know, I should stay in the garden.50% is still high. Consider that the suggested max is 30% and ideal is much lower. Apply for products that suit your needs/wants when your credit is in the best possible shape. It's not just the approval that is impacted but the limit, APR, etc as well. Inquiries are a relatively small factor. They're not your problem. You have bigger issues keeping your scores down if you're seeing signfiicant impact from inquiries. Idenitify and work on those issues. Don't just rely on the passage of time.
@Anonymous wrote:When it comes to gardening, I don't understand people saying to garden for another 6 months.
People like simple. "Gardening" is simple. Suggesting waiting 6 months (or whatever amount of time) is simple. A lot of other popular memes on credit sites ("higher limits begets higher limits", "AmEx hates balances", "usage will lead to CLI's", etc) are also simple whereas how credit is really assessed isn't quite that simple.
In any case, while time does play a part in some of the standard factors one cannot rely solely on time which is what many gardners seem to be doing. Just as real gardening isn't just waiting for plants to grow, gardening credit should involve tending one's credit while waiting. Issues need to be identified and addressed. If one needs assistance in identifying those issues and how to deal with them then one should ask though one will need to disclose enough about one's credit profile in order for us to assist. Ultimately, each needs to be able to assess his/her own credit profile in order to maintain it in the long run.
Very good points.
Too much inphasis on the time put into gardening rather than the ACT of gardening. The debt payoff and credit management are most important. AAoA is a concern, and time is what it takes.
I don't go to any other forums to know the catch phrases they use. I hear them here! 
@Anonymous wrote:
@takeshi74 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Itching to applyDon't app just because of an itch.
@Anonymous wrote:
But 9 of my 15 inquiries are about to hit that 1 year mark and I'm itching to apply for some prime cards. Just paid down some cc debt from 80% uti to just about 50%. I know my experian is 643 and I can't wait to see what it looks like with those inquiries hitting 1 year. I know, I know, I should stay in the garden.50% is still high. Consider that the suggested max is 30% and ideal is much lower. Apply for products that suit your needs/wants when your credit is in the best possible shape. It's not just the approval that is impacted but the limit, APR, etc as well. Inquiries are a relatively small factor. They're not your problem. You have bigger issues keeping your scores down if you're seeing signfiicant impact from inquiries. Idenitify and work on those issues. Don't just rely on the passage of time.
@Anonymous wrote:When it comes to gardening, I don't understand people saying to garden for another 6 months.
People like simple. "Gardening" is simple. Suggesting waiting 6 months (or whatever amount of time) is simple. A lot of other popular memes on credit sites ("higher limits begets higher limits", "AmEx hates balances", "usage will lead to CLI's", etc) are also simple whereas how credit is really assessed isn't quite that simple.
In any case, while time does play a part in some of the standard factors one cannot rely solely on time which is what many gardners seem to be doing. Just as real gardening isn't just waiting for plants to grow, gardening credit should involve tending one's credit while waiting. Issues need to be identified and addressed. If one needs assistance in identifying those issues and how to deal with them then one should ask though one will need to disclose enough about one's credit profile in order for us to assist. Ultimately, each needs to be able to assess his/her own credit profile in order to maintain it in the long run.
Very good points.
Too much inphasis on the time put into gardening rather than the ACT of gardening. The debt payoff and credit management are most important. AAoA is a concern, and time is what it takes.
I don't go to any other forums to know the catch phrases they use. I hear them here!
Pretty much this. Time in and of itself will not fix everything. There can be an over-emphasis on "gardening until x date". You have to remember the bigger picture.