Need help rebuilding and understanding

[Anonymous]

Hi!  I am new to myFICO and I have a few questions.  I am currently in the process of rebuilding my credit (hopefully) and am new to the credit world.  I tried to order an Equifax and Transunion report through myFICO and was unable to do so due to being unable to meet minimum scoring criteria on both.  I have never had any credit cards, I recently finished paying a 2-year loan for roughly 8,000 without a single late payment.  I have also paid off old collections (mostly medical).  I have two medical collections left for 1,000 and 250 as well as a cable bill bill for 250.  All three will be paid by the end of the week.  My main question is why I couldn't recieve any reports as well as will paying off these past collections help my credit score. I did recently complete a "quicky" survey for a round about credit score of 583 (yikes!) but I do understand this was just a survey and nothing serious. I do plan on applying for a mortgage in the near future but am still saving and hopefully getting my ducks in a row.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Anonymous]

You can't order your credit score because, since you have never had any credit cards, you do not have a FICO score.  We don't have a FICO score today but, because we have recently applied for, and have obtained 3 secured credit cards, in about 6-7 months we WILL have a FICO score. It takes that long to generate a FICO score.

You can order your credit reports, not scores, but credit reports from this website: click here for free reports.  Go over your credit reports and see exactly what kind of work you need to do to clean up your reports. 

There is a wealth of information on this website to help you through your rebuilding.  READ, READ, READ and you will learn what we all should have been taught years ago in school, but never were.

I wish you the best! 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your response discernment!  I understand not being able to get a CS, my problem is I also could not get a CR.  Which baffles me because I did recieve my free report from all 3 bureaus in March of this year.  I am on a payment plan with the IRS and recently heard they had the ability to block CR inquiries.  Is this true?  I can't seem to find an answer anywhere!  Also, this site is awesome but being on it hours at a time is really starting to make my head spin.  I am thinking about applying for a secured card but given my aweful credit situation I'm scared, please don't laugh   Thanks!