To preface: I grew up without being taught the importance of credit. If you didn't have the money to buy something, you didn't. I've always paid cash for everything. Once I did some homework on credit, and what it takes to buy a house, I knew I had to get my credit in order.
My credit was abysmal. I started off on CreditKarma with a 450 score.
Eight months ago, I immediately went to town. I did research. I read through these forums like crazy. I googled about credit repair. I started my rebuilding journey. I had a lot of negative information on my report. Some of it my own doing, most from fraud.
I obtained a secured card (500 limit, which has increased to 800) through capital one. I maxed that baby out every month, and paid it off in full every month.
The process to start was absolutely defeating. It was exhausting. I gave up for a month. PFD/GW letter after letter, fraud affidavits, etc. It was nothing but an uphill battle. Roadblocks at every turn. I became reletless. My first negative came off, and it empowered me. I refused to give up. Some agencies probably gave me PFD's simply to shut me up. It worked.
Here I am today, and I've completed my journey. I no longer have any negative information on any of my credit reports. The final negative through a PFD came off, and I nabbed my Fico8 scores.
My scores, as of today are:
- Experian: 768
- Transunion: 750
- Equifax: 748
I broke down. Literally. Tears.
This is more a message for anyone who's starting out. It's overwhelming. Don't let it get to you. Be relentless. You'll eventually find someone willing to help you almost anywhere. Drop those form letters. Almost all of my success was just being as straight up honest and sincere with my own letter writing.
Most of all, thank you for the wealth of information. And that teaching me that being relentless pays off.
