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Maintaining Top Notch Credit
A majority of the consumers in the United States don't realize
that consistent failure to pay bills on time is a major roadblock
in qualifying for a home mortgage, according to a survey conducted
by Fannie Mae earlier this year. It shows that most people do not
know about the detrimental effects of a poor credit rating.
Developing good credit habits and building a strong credit rating
should be a part of everyone's personal financial plan. One small
blemish on your Credit
Report may not disqualify you for a loan, but a series of negative
marks can prevent you from obtaining just about any type of credit
on favorable terms.
A key component of a good credit history is a demonstrated ability
to use credit cards in a mature and responsible manner. Maxing out
your credit cards, then demanding debt relief is clearly a misuse
of credit. Yet, eschewing credit cards altogether isn't a good strategy
either. The best approach is to charge, pay, charge, pay, charge,
pay and so on without going to either extreme. Here are some suggestions
for how you can strengthen the credit card section of your Credit
Report:
1.
Limit your number of credit cards.
A credit card represents the freedom to incur debt up to the limit
on that card. The number of cards you have (even if the balance
is zero), the total amount of credit available to you on those cards
and the balances owed on those cards should be in line with your
monthly income and your financial ability to pay your debts. For
example, a person who earns $30,000 a year and owes $10,000 in credit-card
debt is clearly over-extended, while the same amount of debt might
seem modest for someone who earns $200,000 a year.
2.
Consistently use only a few credit cards.
Don't open and close multiple charge accounts or apply for credit
cards all over town. Every inquiry and every open charge account
will be included in your Credit
Report. Don't ever max out your cards, even if you receive a
windfall and intend to pay the total balance right away. If you
have too many credit cards, officially close your accounts in writing,
then cut up the cards and throw them away!
3. Beware of minimum payment traps.
Don't rack up more debt than you can handle, and don't be fooled
by the minimum payment on your credit-card statement. It's probably
not enough to even cover the interest on the amount you owe for
one month. Unless you pay more than the minimum, the debt will keep
growing.
4. Always pay your bills on time.
This point is a no-brainer, but a surprising number of people don't
understand the importance of honoring their financial obligations.
Credit-card companies are very aggressive when it comes to reporting
late payments to the credit bureaus, and a history of tardiness
will hurt your chances of getting a home mortgage.
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credit report and find out today if
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