Wednesday, February 2, 2011
5 tips to protect your credit score.
It doesn’t take much to chip away at your credit score. Here are five tips to preserve your creditworthiness.
1. Avoid making late payments.
Even one late payment, whether it’s a week or a month, can cost you up to 110 points on your credit. Pay attention to due dates and, whenever possible, pay early.
2. Keep your balance low.
While you need to use your credit to build a history that lenders can view, don’t overdo it. Your total debt should amount to no more than 30 percent of your income. Carrying a big balance will send up a red flag to a potential lender. Pay down your balances and you should see a boost in your score.
3. Keep your credit cards, even if you’re not using them.
You might think you’re doing the smart thing by reducing the number of credit cards you’re carrying, but cancelling cards changes your debt to utilization ratio. If, for example, you have three credit cards and each has a $2,000 limit, that’s a total of $6,000 in available credit. Let’s say you are carrying an $800 balance on one card and zero on the others. Your debt to utilization ratio is 13.3 percent, and that’s a good number. But if you cancel those other two cards, you reduce your total available credit to $2,000 and your debt to utilization ratio soars to 40 percent. You’re better served to tuck those cards away and not use them rather than cancel the accounts.
4. Don’t open new credit lines.
When you apply for a new line of credit, the company checks your credit report, and this inquiry automatically lowers your score a bit, maybe by five points. In addition, once you open the account, you could be sacrificing up to another 15 points until you prove yourself worthy by managing this credit wisely. Don’t collect credit cards; apply for what you need and avoid the temptation to accept more.
5. Don’t default on a loan.
No one wants to default on a loan, but it happens. Home foreclosure could cost you 90 points and bankruptcy can take away as much as 250 points! If a default is unavoidable, start rebuilding your credit as soon as you can, by following the first four tips.
Don’t let your dreams of home ownership be crushed by a low credit score। If you need advice, talk to us at Stylecraft Builders। We can help get you back on track!
Labels: bankruptcy, credit card, credit score, debt, default, foreclosure, interest rates, line of credit, mortgage, ratio, Stylecraft Builders, tanner brewster, tips
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- Name: Stylecraft Builders’ Blog
- Location: College Station, Texas, United States
Welcome to Stylecraft Builders, Central Texas' Premier New Home Builder. Since 1986, Stylecraft Builders has designed and built new homes and communities with its reputation based on integrity, honesty, value and style. With ideal locations in Brenham, Bryan, College Station, Hilltop Lakes, Huntsville, and Waco, come see why we are Central Texas' New Home Builder. Welcome to your New Home.
“Welcome to Stylecraft Builders, one of Central Texas’ premier new home builders. Since 1986, Stylecraft Builders has designed and built new homes and communities with its reputation based on integrity, honesty, value and style. With ideal locations in Brenham, Bryan, College Station, Hilltop Lakes, Huntsville, and Waco, come see why we are The “YES!” Builder. Welcome to your New Home.”
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