You’ve probably heard this before and I’m here to tell you again; your credit score matters in your life and it’s time to understand why.
While great scores can open a new world of opportunities for you, a bad one can often leave you feeling limited and frustrated.
A less than ideal credit score is often the reason behind getting denied on a new line of credit and it can even be the reason you’re having to deal with higher interest rates.
According to Experian’s 2019 Consumer Credit Review report, about 34% of the American population has a credit score below good (670).
Now ask yourself, would you rather spend your life worrying about what you can’t do because of a bad score, or understand, improve it and go on with your life?
If your score falls between very poor or fair, there are some steps that you can take to fix it and, as a result, get it to that good, very good or even exceptional range.
While there are basic steps you can take, like paying your bills or disputing negative information, one of the best ways to fix your credit score would be taking DIY credit repair courses.
An online credit repair course teaches you the ins and outs of bad credit; it helps you understand your score, what affects it, and what you need to do to improve it.
Another advantage of taking a credit repair course online is that it can save you money on paying credit repair companies.
In addition, if you take an interest in credit repair, after the course, you could make a business out of it and help others that are struggling as well.
What Are DIY Credit Repair Courses?
It’s in the name, credit repair online courses are all about teaching individuals the major causes of bad credit, how to prevent it, and how to fix it.
In addition, the course also teaches you how to read a credit report and tips and proven methods when solving a dispute.
Of course, nowadays individuals can now choose to either go to a class or seminar to learn about credit repair, or they could take the course right from the comfort of their own home.
While some individuals may prefer to take the course in person, others opt for the convenience that online courses offer, like being able to take it anywhere and at any time.
Benefits of a Online Credit Repair Course
I know some of you are thinking, do I have the time and money to take a credit repair course, or would I rather hire a credit repair company to just handle my credit for me.
On the one hand, if you hire a reputable company, you’ll at least know that your score is in good hands and they’re going to do everything they can to help you achieve your credit goals, but whenever you need help, you’re going to have to pay for it.
If you take a credit repair course and learn all you can, not only will you be able to work on any issues you encounter and not have to pay a middleman, but you’re investing into a skill you can later put to work.
I don’t know about you, but with credit scores and reports always changing, I would rather know how to understand and work on my file, than always have to pay someone else to do it for me; think of it as an investment for your credit standing.
Teaches You How to Read a Credit Report:
The amount of information on a credit report can seem overwhelming, but credit repair courses help you understand each section, spot inaccuracies, and what steps to take afterward.
Foremost, they teach you how to get your report from all three credit bureaus; this is important because each bureau processes and interprets information differently, which is why your score can differ slightly depending on the bureau.
Another reason understanding your report is so important is because it can also tell you how long negative information will be on it for, so if something is long overdue for removal and you aren’t aware it could hurt your score.
In order to know how to improve your score, you first need to understand the information that it’s based on.
Teaches You How to Repair Bad Credit
Once again, just like the name implies, a credit repair class shows you how to repair bad credit.
They cover things like spotting negative information, to contacting the bureaus, filing a dispute, and these are just to name a few.
Remember, in order to improve, you must first learn where to start and how to get to your goal legally.
Every state has its own laws for credit, so while a policy or practice might work here in Texas, it might not work in, say, California or Ohio.
DIY Credit repair courses will guide you to what works in your area; remember it’s important to do things by the book when dealing with something as sensitive as credit.
Teaches You How to Spot Legitimate Credit Repair Companies
We get it, life gets hectic and out of hand sometimes and so you may not always be able to monitor or fix your credit yourself; it’s at this point in time you may consider a credit repair company.
Picking a credit repair company is easier said than done; remember not every company is transparent or ethical; however, if you have taken a credit repair class, you can spot legitimate credit repair companies from the scams.
Reviews, ratings, success rates, reputation, processes are just some factors that tell you a lot about credit repair companies and whether they have the knowledge and experience you’re looking for.
Since not everyone has taken credit repair courses, the signs of a scam or bad company aren’t so noticeable. As a result, you might even fall victim to some fraudulent credit repair companies.
Shows You Tools To Automate The Credit Repair Process
Several tools are used to facilitate the credit repair process, some of which include software that monitors all your payments; software that compares all your credit reports from the major bureaus; and software that searches for errors.
There is even software that generates dispute letters for you to be emailed to the relevant agency.
While these tools help speed up the process of credit repair, they can be a bit intimidating if you’ve never worked with them before; luckily that’s where credit repair courses come in.
A credit repair class will show you how to use the relevant software to automate the credit repair processes for you and your business.
Why work harder when you could work smarter?
Resources To Look for in DIY Credit Repair Courses
Just like you must do research before selecting a credit repair company, you also have to look into credit repair courses; make sure that you look at details like pricing, material/topics covered, satisfaction, money-back guarantee, etc.
Remember, you’re investing both your time and money into this, so look for a course that matches what you’re looking for.
To identify a standard credit repair class, you need to watch for the following resources.
How To Do Credit Repair For Yourself
The main thing a credit repair class should teach you is how the credit repair process works. Regardless of your knowledge about credit repair, a good course should start from the beginning and teach you the ins and outs.
Some things you should be taught in this resource include:
- How credit scores are calculated and their importance
- How credit reporting laws affect the credit repair process
- How low credit scores affect business and personal life
How to Negotiate and Settle Debts Yourself
One of the biggest setbacks in credit repair is uncontrollable debt; there’s no need to feel ashamed. Sometimes things get out of our control and debt can get out of hand.
Now, you can do every other thing right, but as long as you still have unsettled debts, your credit repair efforts won’t go very far or do very well.
Sometimes you might negotiate a settlement with the creditor; however, if you don’t know how to go about it, then you can end up making things worse.
Thankfully, a proper credit repair class will teach you how to negotiate debt settlements with your lender; they’ll even show you how to negotiate settlements that might otherwise be listed as negative information, on your report, like charge-off debts and missed payments.
Learn How to Send Validation Letters to Your Debt Collectors
In 2020, the Federal Trade Commission reported that they had received over 80,000 complaints from consumers; close to 50% of the complaints were about attempts to collect debts that consumers didn’t owe.
This is a very common occurrence and the best way to prevent it is through a debt validation letter.
A proper credit repair class teaches you the importance of debt validation letters and how to use them.
Sometimes serious errors show up in your credit report, especially wrong debts or sold-off debts. A debt validation letter is a formal request asking a creditor to prove that you owe them money; the letter should include:
- Details of the debt
- How much you owe
- Who you presently owe
- When they need you to pay back the debt
- A 30-day timeframe to dispute the debt, otherwise, the debt is assumed valid
- A confirmation that your debt will be verified by email within another 30 days if you dispute the debt within the first 30 days
- A statement guaranteeing that the debt collector will provide more information about the original lender if you make the request.
Learn How to Write Dispute Letters
Speaking of errors in your credit report, a proper credit repair course should teach you about disputing errors in your report.
It should start by showing you the errors you can dispute and the laws guiding the dispute.
It should also teach you how to write proper dispute letters by telling you what information needs to be included.
Last, it should show you the documents that need to be included in the dispute letters and how to mail them correctly to ensure that the business gets the dispute letter.
Learn How to Use Credit Repair Tools
Make sure that any credit repair class you take will teach you how to use the different credit repair tools that are available. This is important if you run or plan to open a credit repair business.
Many of the credit repair processes can be automated, and you must learn how to use the tools so that the job of credit repair becomes easier for you.
For example, some tools track all your credit reports and notify you once they spot an error; others go as far as including templates for letters, whether they’re dispute, validation, or others.
This is a huge plus if you own a credit repair business because using automation tools will boost the productivity and efficiency of your business, especially when you have several clients.
In Conclusion
Knowing how to repair your credit is becoming an absolute must because individuals are realizing the importance of maintaining a good score; this, of course, is why credit repair courses are becoming so readily available.
While there are several steps you can take to boost your credit score, the most beneficial action you can take to help your credit, especially in the long run, is to take a credit repair course.
A credit repair class will give you in-depth information on all the processes involved in credit repair, like filing disputes, negotiating debt settlements, sending validation letters, etc.
Plus, a credit repair company will also teach you how to use software to facilitate many parts of the credit repair process.
If you intend to run a credit repair company, then it is very essential that you invest some time and money into taking a proper credit repair class.
It’s time to stop putting off credit repair, and it’s time to improve your score; once you start your credit repair course, you’ll realize just how big of a difference it can have.
