597 to Hello... 700 club!!!!

[Foodie2018]

Well actually its 702....and has been my goal since January 2018 to get my credit score to 700. And its like.....such a big deal for me : )

My husband and I plan to buy our first home next year and both of our credit has been through it! It was downright UGLY, NASTY, CRAPPY.  We gave up on our credit,  LIFE happened, and to be honest, we talked ourselves out of ever owning a home because of our credit woes. But one day, I started thinking "hey, maybe if I just try to work on my credit...maybe I can fix it." I set a goal to get a 700 score.

But how?????

About a year ago, I got a Cap1 secure for $200, and later on that same year I got a Credit 1 card for $300, at that time my score was 510. I made my payments every month, but never really concerned myself with my credit, I was just happy to have a credit card. I wasn't focused, had no idea about AZEO, UTI, DTI, or any other abreviations LOL!. It wasn't until January of this year that I actually decided to take my credit seriously, because I had read somewhere that all I needed was a 620 to get an FHA loan. That really got my credit juices flowing! I realized that homeownership was within my grasp, if I just worked on cleaning up my credit.

My scores had moved up to 608,598,597 at that point, I've gone hard about my credit for the past 3 months...I opened a self lender account, paid off my charge-offs , collections I disputed and settled (14 accounts!!), I got a CLI from Credit 1 and also applied for unsecured Cap 1 Plat for $1000, which increased my available credit, which in turn bumped my score up. I did EVERYTHING I could possibly do to improve my score. I read the MyFico forums religiously, I've done ALOT in a short period of time, with an expectation that it would take at least a year or so to achieve my 700 goal, I'm actually shocked that I've done it, but I want anyone who is reading my post to know that if I can do it, so CAN YOU.  Of course every person's credit file is different, I really believed the removal of collections accounts is what propelled my scores in the right direction. EX 677 and EQ651 still have more work to be done, but to be over the 700 threshold is a wonderful feeling.

These forums have helped me so much, along with YouTube and asking people with good credit " how'd you do it?" I've always been told that closed mouths don't get fed. So, I literally asked co-workers, friends, and family how they maintained their credit. (You'd be surprised how forthright people are with you about their own credit journeys). I found out that I'm not the only person in the world who had crappy credit and resigned myself to renting for the rest of my life, other people have been in that same mindset too.

I'm excited and motivated to keep going!  Next stop is 750!!!!

[19eighty5]

Congratulations! What a remarkable story to read. I, too, am starting at a similar place as you did and it is encouraging to read that you were able to accomplish so much and hit your goals. Also, i've taken a similar approach in sparking up conversations with friends, co-workers, etc about their credit journeys and was also surprised at how open people are to talking about their finances. I found it interesting that many of my friends are also in the same boat and so we've begun helping each other by sharing tips (many from this forum) to improve our financials for the future. Good luck in your journey to 750!

[Foodie2018]

Thank you! It will happen for you...keep paying on time and keeping that UTI low, your scores will soar.

 I'm an open book and I felt like I should tell people what I did (still doing) to better my credit. At this point, time is my only other barrier, my accounts need to age more. But I encourage everyone to seek out ways to improve their scores, from goodwills, to settlements and so forth.  Myfico forums is a godsend, I've learned so much here and am still learning.

I wish you the best of luck and I can't wait to see your 700 club post! : )

[Anonymous]

Me and the wife thought the same thing about getting a house. Im getting close to a 620 but I want it higher than that before I apply. Thanks for the inspiration. 

I sent out some dispute letters recently hoping a few things fall off. Great job thanks for sharing the sucess story.

[Aspireto850]

What a terrific and successful story. 100 point increase in 3 months is awesome. all the best for a quick trip to 750 land!

[avp99]

Congratulations!  recovery is possible!

[oogy]

Awesome story, congratulations!

This was an encouraging post to read for someone whose scores started out in the 400s after bad health tore up my finances.

I'm roughly where you started now score-wise and still working on settling/paying off the last of my collection accounts.

I've got enough baddies on there that unless I can get some magical GW relief, I don't think I'll be in the 700s for a while yet even after stuff is paid, but it's encouraging to me anyway to read your story and hear the success you had with your rebuild!