Repair Credit Report Help

HELP I need to clean up a very bad credit report.?

My credit is a disaster. I had a mulitude of things that have caused it. My problems started with severe medical problems and a business failure then foreclosures on several homes (18) I had to go through Bankrupty in 2004. My credit is so bad I tried to rent an apartment and my report did not even show any score. I also have IRS leins both state and federal. My medical problems are behind me but how can I regain my credit. What is the process in disputing information that is not accurate. Everyone says you can clean up credit but no one explains how unless you pay them. I would be more than willing to pay if I thought I trust them but I don't. Most of the credit repair places are just scams. I have a small business and would like to expand but it is impossible with my credit. Everything is cash only. My health is good and my business is doing fine. How can I get my score back into the high 700"s like it was before. Where do I start? How many years will it take?

Public Comments

1. bad credit,.,.,. easy as this,.,.,.,kill yourself, and come back as a different person and start with good credit,.,.,.,., there is no way out of bad credit if your not rich ok,,. thats all im trin to say
2. my cousin filled bankruptcy and it took him 7 years to build it back up to the high 700's. With alot of hard work and dedication. You have to not be late on any payments and pay everything on time for a long while before you can start getting approved again for little credit cards here and there. basically work up from small to big. Start at the bottom (little credit cards) and work your way up to the top, by paying them off on time for years and then You will start getting approved for bigger, better things/credit.
3. Well, it won't be easy, and it won't be quick, but you CAN do this on your own. First things first - you state that you don't have a FICO score - but you do. If you get the 3 credit scoring companies reports (which you are entitled to for free once a year at freecreditreport.com), you can see what you have on file with each of them. For each disputed transaction, you must provide documentation (and sometimes multiple times), including agreement from the lienholder that the debt is discharged, incorrect, or whatever the problem is. Ensure that it is correct, a written off debt is different than a cash settlement. For the IRS, I recommend just using a tax attorney (not a service) and see what can be negotiated. Do not believe the ads which state it can be eliminated - at a minimum you'll pay principal, but usually penalties and interest can be negotiated down. The bankruptcy will probably weigh on your credit score for a long time - Once your credit score is cleaned up, you might be able to qualify for a store or gas station credit card (they are more lenient on their requirements, although your credit limit may be in hundreds rather than thousands of dollars) - use that credit card every month, even if only a single purchase, and pay it off to a zero balance monthly. That will start improving your credit score. Do remember that your credit score changes every day - mine ranges from 805 - 828 on a daily basis, depending on where I am in bill cycle and which of the 3 credit scoring companies I'm looking at. When I got divorced, just the act of closing joint credit cards pushed me down to the 740 range for a couple of years, so don't discount that any action, no matter how small, can negatively or positively impact your credit score. Depending on how good your business is, you might try to work through prosper.com or other private lending instititions to improve your cash position today.
4. Your biggest problem is going to be the tax liens and mortgage foreclosures. One foreclosure is a disaster in itself..but 18!!! Credit "repair" works much better when dealing with credit card and other unsecured debts. You dispute the item, and the creditor must verify it's accurate or the item is removed from your report. Bankruptcies are nearly impossible, as they are public records. If you dispute them, the CRA simply goes online and checks the court records....and they will find it. So there isn't much hope there. Same with foreclosures. Again, very difficult to dispute as they are easy to prove. In my opinion, you are not going to be seeing scores in the 600's for a few more years. You can start working to build your credit from the other direction (get loans and pay on time), but that will also be difficult. To secure financing, you will need to gather all of your current income records and talk directly to loan officers. Some of them are not that narrow minded, and actually can see beyond a credit report. If you can convince them your business is sound and secure, they may give you a loan (at a higher interest rate). But it's a start. Just curious....didn't they roll your tax problems into your bankruptcy? Yes, you still have to pay the taxes, but the interest and penalties are frozen.
5. You can use credit repair agency to fix it - for example this one - http://freecreditreport.sinfree.net - They can clean lots of such bad stuff from your credit report - and do it much faster than yourself, so your credit will go up fast.