Hi everyone! I am brand new here and a newbie at this credit report thing.
Right now I am trying to find an apartment and I found the perfect one for me. Unfortunately, I currently have a 5 year old collection from an student apartment Iived in back in college days that is keeping me from getting the apartment. That is my ONLY derogatory account - everything else is in good standing. I was stupid then and by the time I got the money to pay the original creditor, the apartment changed management and I was no longer on their books. I already tried to dispute the charges and all it did was update the accounts on my credit report.
My question is basically what are the best ways to negotiate with the credit agency (Southern Management Systems) to get this removed from the credit reports. The balance owed is $2,378 and I thought about trying to negotiate down to $1500 with no monthly payments. I am in desperate need of an apartment sooner than later. Any suggestions on how to go about negotiations or anything would help.
Thank you!
