Here at Credit Absolute we’ve helped our fair share of clients who have just been dealt a bad hand and everything went bad at once, destroying their credit score.
One of the more extreme case was with one of our clients who had been laid off during the recent recession. This caused him get behind on car and mortgage payments for several months before finally going into foreclosure, having his car repossessed, and maxed out credit cards. This left him drowning in debt and when he finally found new employment, the previous lenders began garnishing his wages, making it nearly impossible to pay his current bills, let alone pay off old debt. He was then forced to file bankruptcy and is now working to rebuild his credit after years of bad luck ruined his credit.
There are definitely situations like this that may be out of your control and your bad credit score may just be the result of bad luck, but in most cases it has more to do with poor credit habits and common credit mistakes. While derogatory marks on your credit report do eventually fall off, it does take awhile. So it’s important to make sure you avoid these common mistakes.
Common Credit Score Mistakes That Can Kill Your Credit Score
While some unforeseen circumstances may be unavoidable, there are quite a few different things that can negatively affect your credit score and should be avoided whenever possible. Here are a few common mistakes that people with low credit scores tend to make:
- You Close Old Credit Card Accounts
A large part of your credit score is determined by your credit history and by keeping your old credit cards can help improve your credit score. You will still need to occasionally use those cards to keep them “active” but you definitely don’t want to close out old cards.
- You Take Too Long To Shop For The Best Rate
This is a very common mistake among new home and car buyers who have been advised to shop around for the best rates. While it is definitely recommended to search around for the best rates when buying a car or home, you want to avoid having your credit checked numerous times by shopping too long for a good rate. One tip to help avoid this mistake is by working with a mortgage broker; they can run your credit once but will still have access to numerous mortgage companies in order to find you the best rate without having to re-run your credit for every lender.
- You Don’t Use Credit, Even Though You Have Access To It
Sadly, this happens far too often and, while it may not hurt your credit, it is a lost opportunity that could be helping you maintain a good credit score. If you have credit cards that you’ve perhaps had for years and no longer use, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to improve your credit. Credit that isn’t being used won’t help your credit score so make sure that you’re using your credit card at least a few times a year to ensure it stays “active” and continues to benefit your score.
- You Max Out Your Credit Cards
While this mistake isn’t always done intentionally – many people max out their credit cards because of unexpected financial burdens – many people are unaware that they are severely hurting their credit score by maxing out a credit card. Try to avoid using more than 50% of your available credit (preferably less than 30%) to maintain a good debt to credit ratio which will help increase your credit score.
- You Became A Co-Signer
This can be a sensitive matter of conversation because co-signing often involves two people who are very close and trust each other enough to risk their credit on behalf of the other. Unfortunately, many people haphazardly co-sign without a second thought and without considering the implications of the matter. Before co-signing, make sure that the person you’re co-signing for isn’t a likely risk of delinquency. If they stop paying, you start paying with bad credit – you could also be held accountable for the remainder of the debt as well.
- You Don’t Worry About “Just One” Missed Payment
According to FICO, “Delinquent payments, even if only a few days late, and collections can have a major negative impact on your FICO Scores.”
Far too often people will neglect to pay their bills on time simply because they forget to, are too busy, or simply don’t think it’s a big deal if they’re just a few days late. Unfortunately this can severely impact your credit score, lowering it substantially. Avoid late payments whenever possible and set reminders if you have the tendency to forget.
Rebuild Your Credit
Whether you’ve been the subject of Murphy’s Law and been rained on with horribly bad luck, resulting in a low credit score, or you’ve just inadvertently made some poor choices that have caused your score to drop, Credit Absolute can help rebuild your credit score quickly and affordably. Don’t continue to be dragged down by poor credit and high interest rates, contact us today for a free consultation!
Source: creditabsolute.com