Dear Donna,
How do I repair my credit?
Talk about broad questions. 
As the author of the “Credit Millionaire Book“, I’ll start by saying that any entry on your credit report can be challenged. Incorrect information can and should be removed from your report.
Negative information stays on your report for 7 years (10 years from bankruptcy) as long as they are correct.
Consumers can do everything a credit repair clinic or service can do. They write letters, followups, make phone calls, negotiate paydowns, and pretty much do whatever it takes to challenge the information on your report. It’s for this reason that I don’t recommend someone use a credit repair service.
After all, who is going to be more diligent about writing letters on your behalf. Them or you?
However, there is one small advantage to using a reputible credit repair organization (if you can find one)… they can do it so much faster than you can, because they’ve built up relationships with the relevent parties.
And they are definitely a savings when it comes to advanced and aggressive credit repair, the type that involved lawsuits and other legal arguments. They’ve done all the research already.
Notice, the key word above is reputible. The credit repair industry is one that stinks all over, and it’s hard to find the rose among the skunks. But if you manage to find one, I wouldn’t engage their services until you take two sets of actions.
First, with your credit report in hand, call every creditor for which there is negative information on your report and say the following. “I’m reviewing my credit report before I buy a home and I noticed that my record shows a 30-day late payment from a few months ago. I don’t recall ever being late on this account, and I’ve been a good customer for years. Would you check that out for me?”
Continue, and if they don’t just offer to remove it, say “this late pay is really going to cause me trouble for getting my home. Would you be willing to remove it?”
It’s amazing how often that works.
The second strategy I want you to use is a letter writing campaign. For every place above that didn’t simply remove the item, write them a letter saying the same thing, “I don’t recall this 60 days late. Please verify it or remove it from my account.”
Send out those letters and mark your calendar for 40 days later. If you can’t received a notice that the item was removed, it’s time for a followup letter.
For more info on credit repair tactics, read the Credit Millionaire Book, or download my compilation
