IMPROVING YOUR CREDIT SCORE

The new year of 2012 is now only hours away. It is a season when lots of people think about making changes to their life-- losing weight, dropping back habits, and the like. If you are planning on renting a new home or buying a new home, you might consider you take action in the new year to improve your credit score.

If you want to buy a new home in 2012 and will finance your purchase, your credit score should be a great concern for you. Lenders have much stricter lending requirements than they did a few years ago, and the foundation of getting a loan is your credit score. The credit score helps lenders have a reliable way of gauging your credit worthiness by looking at your debt, payment history, etc. If you are planning on renting a new place in 2012, you should also be concerned about your credit score. Many landlords carefully review applicants for rentals. I certainly do. One of the things I review is their credit score. I certainly am much more likely to want a tenant for a property if they have a good credit score than a poor credit score.

Here are a few things you can do to improve your credit score:

1. CHECK YOUR CREDIT SCORE FOR ACCURACY

You can get a free copy of your credit report each year. Simple google via the internet "free credit report" and find out how to do it. Once you get your free credit report, review it carefully. It will tell you how to dispute and correct your credit information.

2. PAY DOWN OR PAY OFF YOUR CREDIT CARDS

Starting with the smallest credit card debt you have, pay off your credit cards. Once you have the smallest credit card paid off, use the money you were using to pay off the second highest credit card debt you have. High balances on credit cards is a major impairment on your credit score. Consider selling surplus items using craigslist, a yard sale, Ebay, etc. and using the money you make to pay down your debt.

3. PAY YOUR BILLS ON TIME

Another thing you can do to improve your credit score is to pay your debts in a timely fashion. One thing that helps me do this is using bill pay offered through my bank. When I receive a bill, I go ahead and using the bill pay service schedule for the bill to be paid before the due date. You can also use your bank's bill pay service to schedule re-occurring bills (e.g. mortages, rent, auto payment, etc.)

Good luck in your efforts to improve your credit score. Keep me posted on how it goes.

Know the goodness of this day.-- Randy Wall

Why Real Estate?

Why? Why real estate? Why do I want to buy and sell real estate in a day when many people are afraid of it with lowering property values and an uncertain economy? That is where I want to begin in my first post on this real estate blog. Our church participates in a program called "Room in the Inn" where homeless people come to our church as our guests for the night. When they arrive, they receive a warm meal...a comfortable bed... friendly conversation if they desire it... and a time of devotion. We found out this week that one of our "Room in the Inn" guests from last year died recently. On the news today, I learned that there are approximately 4700 homeless children in the Charlotte area schools.

Buying and selling real estate is more than putting cash in my pocket. No, it is about seeking to buy houses that I can sell or rent at an affordable price so that children and adults can have a place to raise their families and spend their lives. Real estate is about helping people have a place to celebrate Christmas, birthdays, and other occasions with their families. Real estate is about helping people get a piece of the "American dream". I know that I cannot help every homeless person or everyone, but I can help someone to find a house they can call their own.

If you are selling real estate, your motivation might be something totally different. Whatever might be your motivation, I encourage you to ask "why". Discover your driving force and passion, and let it be fuel for your work. I will share with you later.- Randy Wall