How to get "bad debt/collection" that are paid off removed from report

[amandak1026]

Hello.  I'm new to this forum, so if this question has been covered already, please forgive me.   My husband and I have had credit issues to do a 3-year-long layoff he went through a couple years back. He's now back to steady work and we're paying our bills on time and paying off some collections, but our credit is still pretty bad. I'm trying very hard to fix it, but I don't really know what the best place to start is.  We're unexpectedly expecting a 3rd child in April and will need a vehicle that accomodates all 3 kids, and I'm terrifed that we won't have the credit required to get a new vehicle.  My current Equifax FICO score is 496 (terrible, I know) and Transunion FICO is 584.  My question is this. I have several  (4 or 5) accounts reported as bad debt/collection that I have paid down to a zero balance.  Some are from as far back as 2010, others are more recent. Is there any way to have these removed from my credit report, or are they going to sit out there forever? 

[StartingOver10]

Do you have any good, current tradelines or are all the tradelines closed with late pays and CO's?

If you only have the 4 or 5 accounts that are paid now but were delinquent, you need to get some good tradelines going. I would suggest a secured credit card in your situation so you can begin to re-establish yourself.

To get rid of the paid tradelines that are reporting lates, see if the OC will remove the TL with a GW letter. GW=Good Will

If you are speaking of collection accounts, it is more difficult to get those removed. Search here under 'removing charge offs' to see if your creditors have ever removed them from credit reports.

Don't pressure yourself to get anew vehicle immediately after having the baby. Take care of your credit issues first so you don't find yourself in a bad auto loan. If you need a bigger vehicle, consider getting a beater for cash until you get back on your feet. The last thing you need is a high car payment as it will take you off your path of rebuilding.

[amandak1026]

I do have 3 credit cards in good standing right now with credit available, no late payments or anything. One of those actually just increased my limit without my requesting it, so I was hoping that was a good sign that my credit was improving, but maybe I'm wrong. I feel pretty clueless!   The "bad debt" on my reports that has been paid off has all been dealt with through the OC and not a collection agency, so based on what you've said, maybe I'll have luck getting them to remove them.   Thank you for your response!

[crossmf]

This website really helped me get my credit back together. After facing a foreclosure I was able to get it off my credit report. Needless to say this program was only $65.00 and I would spend it again if I had too.

Thanks to bad credit repair remover I was able to do this myself and save hundreds of dollars. It was easy, it took only three months. I’m glad I came across this site.

Mod Cut

[gdale6]

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@crossmf wrote:

This website really helped me get my credit back together. After facing a foreclosure I was able to get it off my credit report. Needless to say this program was only $65.00 and I would spend it again if I had too.

Thanks to bad credit repair remover I was able to do this myself and save hundreds of dollars. It was easy, it took only three months. I’m glad I came across this site.

Mod cut

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There is no reason to pay money for such information it is all readily available on the web, you just have to put in time to find it and apply it.

[LadyLeah]

Honey listen, after finding this site, there is no way I would pay a QUARTER for help with credit repair. Everything you need to know is right here in this community. 

That said, it's time to start GW or PFD your bad accounts. GW until they fall off, because as I've learned here, all it takes is one yes. :-) They can say no a thousand times, but one yes will be enough to get rid of one bad mark, and suddenly you'll see that it was worth all the effort and frustration.

As for your car, unless your 2 other children are also babies in carseats, I would say let them be uncomfortable as long as they are safe. I'd rather have my kids riding around tight in a vehicle that's paid for, or one that I can afford, than having them ride around comfortably and without a care in the world while I stress over this 30% interest rate. My parents had 5 girls, and we all 5 rode in the back of their Cadillac. No minivans, no station wagons.... just rode in the back of their car, sometimes sharing seatbelts lol (not that I'm suggesting anything unsafe). Don't convince yourself that you need another car just because the baby is coming. And if you really DO need another car, try to save for a used one that you can pay for in cash. You really don't need a high interest loan while you're in the process of rebuilding your credit.

Congrats on the baby!

[-NewGuy-]

As others have said, go the GW route. It's a great way to improve your score, and it doesn't cost a dime (well, postage I guess). If the oldest one on your report is 2010, then I am guessing that there are some fairly new ones as well. Getting those off would provide you an excellent boost. I know that you need a new car with the incoming kiddo, but I really wouldn't apply. You would just be adding inquiries, which will in turn lower your score more.