Having collection deleted from the account in the past I can say yes meet with them but also if those can come off I would highly suggest doing so by either:
1) If possible see if the payment can be made to the original account holder/institution then dispute the collection items with the credit reporting companies as those records will now be invalid & against FCRA to be on your file.
2) Writing to the collection agency with "pay for delete" agreement. This way it will come off but from your report entirely and will boost your score for lower interest.
I would start from there 
...opt-out of CRA selling your data well before you apply lest the CA scum start banging your reports after a mortgage inquiry
...paying a CA without a delete will not improve your credit scores ...fico doesn't differentiate between paid/unpaid collections
...be aware of what the HUD requirements are re collection accounts vs lender overlays ...if the lender is telling you to do something HUD doesn't require, think about changing lenders ...
...I'd pfd every ca if possible ...the older the account the less you should offer to settle ...if its past your state's SoL, offer 15%, they can always counter
...if you can't get a pfd and HUD doesn't require you pay it, then its up to your best judgment ...as SO10 pointed out, lenders often require payment even when HUD doesn't ...but there are a lot of hungry lenders about ...hth
