(When I wrote this, it wasn't intended for this site because most of you already know this.  However, I decided to post anyway because it might benefit less experienced LO's or Realtors.  Please let me know if there's anything you think I missed in this article.  -Thanks)

 Believe it or not, some of us have problems with paying our bills on time. I think it's fair to say that most of us have had at least one debt go unpaid at some point in our lives. Whether it was a $5 late charge from Blockbuster you forgot about or a late mortgage payment to the bank, we've all been guilty in some form or another. For those of you guilty of the latter, this article's for you. Chances are if you're not making your mortgages payments on time, other debts are also being neglected. You already know the best way to fix this problem...PAY YOUR BILLS ON TIME! But if you're looking for a "quick-fix" to boost your scores today, start taking notes. Working with "Sub-Prime" borrowers, as they're called in the mortgage industry, I've become somewhat of an expert on repairing credit scores. Just as important though, I have learned to help my clients maintain their scores once we've raised them.

After running thousands of credit reports over the years, I have only seen a handful of scores actually in the 800's. None have been 850, which is the highest possible score. If you desperately need to raise your scores today, I can help. If you just want to impress your friends by having higher scores than them, I can help...I guess. As consumers, our credit report displays our financial time-line. Increase your scores and you increase your consumer buying power.

1. Know Your Credit Scores: What many people don't realize is that credit (FICO) scores largely reflect your recent payment history.

   A person with poor to bad credit can dramatically increase their scores by
   making just 6 months of timely payments.

   There are, of course, other contributing factors which I will also explain. Your outstanding collections aren't hurting you as bad as you think. They do count against you, however, they're not weighted as heavy as your recent payment history. Start checking your credit report at least once every few months. I find so many errors on credit reports that actually hurt my clients' scores. Cases of fraud are also very common making it that much more important to check it. If you are a homeowner and would like to receive a free credit report and analysis, submit your request here at http://www.directloanpro.com/.
2. Lower Your Credit Balances: The best trick for boosting your scores fast is lowering the balances on your revolving credit.

   You want to try and keep your balances below 40% of your available credit limit.

   For example, if your credit card has a limit of $10,000, you want to lower the balance to under $4,000. I have seen credit scores jump higher than 50 points by doing this. Even if your balance is only around $5,000, lowering it just a small amount can greatly improve your scores. Once your balances are lowered, keep them there! If you must, go get another card. Always remember to keep the balances low.
3. Open New Credit Lines: You need to have open lines of credit to establish credit scores. Opening new lines of credit is not always a bad thing.

   The credit agencies want to see high credit limits with low balances.

   If you're maxed-out on all your credit cards, opening a new one CAN help you. I'm not saying to go out and apply to every card offer you get, but this is a way to lower your debt-to-credit limit ratio. If you do this, I highly recommend cutting up the card immediately. If using this advice to increase your scores, you probably don't need to be incurring anymore debt. Also, NEVER CLOSE YOUR CREDIT CARDS! Revolving credit helps your score. If you don't need it, don't use it. Make sure that it stays open and shows on your credit report.
4. Transfer Credit Balances: Sometimes, raising your scores can be done without having to pay down anything. If you took out another credit card like in Tip #3, it's not a bad idea to spread your balances throughout your various cards. Try to keep the balance of each card under the 40% I mentioned earlier. Make sure you're not getting charged high interest rates or hidden fees by doing this. Some credit card companies offer promotions that allow free balance transfers from card to card.
5. Dispute Late Payments: This trick doesn't always work. Obviously, if there is an error on your report and you can prove that it is such, this most definately works. However, this can also work even if you owe the money. Defending a dispute can cost creditors and collection agencies more than they are willing to spend at times. Not many people have the know-how, or the resources to dispute debts the in proper way. Doing this on your own can be a major hassel, but if you know how to do it right, it can be a major relief. Post a comment if you would like more information on this and I will reply.