New here, need advice on rebuilding my credit.

[Anonymous]

Was just about to apply for a credit card tonight but changed my mind due to my horrible credit. I go to CreditKarma for my credit score because it is free and easy. In college, I made a mistake and went wild and 3 credit cards went to collections. Now they are all paid off now except one card but I am working on it. My score went from 545 and now it is 604 in 1.5 years with now 5 hard credit inquiries and 25 K student loan debt. I am trying to figure out who to contact to ask for "forgiveness" so some of it can be taken off my credit score. Does anyone know a free credit score website that I can find that info because I can't on CK. I really want to get a mortgage at the end of the year or early next so I need to do whatever I can to get my score up. Does anyone know of any credit cards I should apply for to help my credit? I haven't had one in 2 years.

Thank you!

[starry1]

annualcreditreport.com.  Everyone is entitled to one free credit report every 12 months.  Do not buy the scores from there because they are fakos, as is the score on creditkarma.  The only place to get a real score is here on myfico.

[Shogun]

    Start with pulling your FREE CR's from (ACR) annualcreditreport.com . they tend to have more info on them, then ones from a 3rd   party.   The CR's from ACR, come directly from each of the CRA's. You can pull 1 Free CR from TU,EQ and EX every 12 months.

   Save your money and Don't Buy the Scores, they are what we call FAKO's.

Hope that helps!

[Anonymous]

Thank you both. I ended getting MYFICO and annual. Worse than I thought and I have no idea where to start to improve my credit. 

I have 3 Bad debt/collections that have been paid off for a while. Is there anyway I can try to get them off? 

This is what is listed hurting my score.

You have a serious delinquency (60 days past due or greater) or a derogatory description on your credit report.

You have a short credit history.

You've made heavy use of your available revolving credit.

You recently missed a payment or had a derogatory indicator reported on your credit report.

Each of of those are the mistakes I made in college almost 2 years ago. 

Your Equifax FICO® score:596

On February 24, 2013

What do I do to fix my score? I am at a loss. The only debt I have is student loans. I need to do something. 

[guiness56]

You have no credit cards or revolving?  I would try to get a secured CC or be added as AU on someones account in good standing.

Send GW letters to the CAs reporting on your CR asking if they would remove the collections.

Read the stickies in my signature.  They will help with understanding abbreviations used here and general credit information.

[Anonymous]

Thank you! I want to send GW letters but the thing I am having problem with is finding out who to send them too. The credit cards were Wells Fargo, Walmart and Old Navy but don't you have to send the Good Will letter to the collections? I have no idea who the collections are from anymore. Ugh!

[guiness56]

You send the GW to the one reporting on your credit report.

[Anonymous]

It also says I have no collections on my report so I have no idea who to send them too anymore.

[starry1]

You can try to goowill the OC.  But mostly, I think what you need to do is start rebuilding.  A secured credit card would be a good place to start.

[guiness56]

The easiest way to help you would be for you to cut and paste the accounts from your CR that concern you.  Omit personal information.