Is there anything else I can do?

[Anonymous]

Since having my daughter, I've decided it was time to "grow up" and face my financial status in order to make sure that she has a secure future. My first priority is buying a home. (This will be my first time buying one.) I pulled my CR and score, which needs work to get it to where it needs to be to get a mortgage loan. Although buying a home is at the top of my priority list, I also want to make sure that my credit is good; so, I can not only provide for her and our future but also be a good role model and teach her how to be financially responsible. Here's what I've done so far:

1. PIF 2 collection accounts - I just found out that I could have PFD yesterday. So, I sent GW letters to those CAs today. I'll also call on Monday.

2. PIF a very recent charge off with WFNNB (basically I started paying it off the day after it became a charge off). I also sent a GW letter to them. I called to ask for a mailing address and got quickly told they "don't do that because it would be lying". I'll call again on Monday and talk to someone else.

3. Paid down my CO CC to less than 9% of the CL. Sent a GW letter to them requesting that they delete my recent late payment history. I had set up automatic payments and wasn't aware that I had to renew it every 3 months until I got a phone call a couple of months ago. I paid it up to date immediately at that point.

4. Disputed two accounts (student loans) that were listed as collections. Those were quickly deleted from my CR.

Any other thoughts on what I can do in the short term besides (obviously) making sure to pay all of my bills on time?

TIA

[LIGHTNIN]

I'm confused, What did you mean by this...................... "3. Paid down my CO CC to less than 9% of the CL"

CO means Charge offs. Did you mean you paid CO's down to 9%?

[Anonymous]

Oops, I meant Capital One. Sorry!

[Anonymous]

So are all the baddies on your reports paid? If so keep sending gw letters. If you get a denial KEEP TRYING. How many cc's do you have just the cap one? If so i would look into adding another small trade line.

[Anonymous]

Yes, all of the baddies are paid. I plan on being persistent (but nice, of course) with the GW letters & phone calls. The other are I have is an AmEx where I'm a AU. I pay it off every month. So, the balance is always $0. It also shows up on my CR (as a good thing I'm assuming). Do you still think I need another CC with a small tradeline? This was also suggested to me by one of the myfico CSR. But when I posted a question on the CC forum, everyone who responded said that it wouldn't help?

[Anonymous]

Oh and just FYI, one of the reasons the myfico rep recommended I get another CC is because I don't have any recent hard inquiries affecting my score. That brings up a concern for me that getting a CC would be a hard inquiry that would adversely affect score which I definitely don't need.

[webhopper]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Yes, all of the baddies are paid. I plan on being persistent (but nice, of course) with the GW letters & phone calls. The other are I have is an AmEx where I'm a AU. I pay it off every month. So, the balance is always $0. It also shows up on my CR (as a good thing I'm assuming). Do you still think I need another CC with a small tradeline? This was also suggested to me by one of the myfico CSR. But when I posted a question on the CC forum, everyone who responded said that it wouldn't help?

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Another CC will likely help.. or at least a secured loan. The CD or savings you use to secure the CC and / or the loan can also count as reserves when you go to buy a house.

i think a secured CC will help you, are there any Credit Unions where you live, what state and county do you live in? 

[Anonymous]

I live in Louisiana - Calcasieu parish (no counties here). There is a CU. I am also a USAA member. Any suggestions for secured CCs or loans?

[Anonymous]

Yes at first a hard inquiry will slightly hurt but the account ages and your score gets better. To me IMHO having multiple credit lines with excellent payment history shows you can handle credit responsibly to a lender.

[Anonymous]

That makes sense. I'll call USAA today to see if they offer a secured CC. Just in case, any suggestion(s) on more reputable ones?