Creative and Easy Ways to Boost Your Credit Score Before Buying a Home

• Become an Authorized User on a Trusted Account: Ask a family member or friend with a strong credit history to add you as an authorized user on their credit card account.
• Request a Credit Limit Increase: Contact your credit card issuer and ask for a higher credit limit to lower your credit utilization ratio.
• Pay Down Balances Strategically: Focus on credit cards with the highest utilization rates first and aim for below 30% utilization.
• Use Experian Boost: Sign up for Experian Boost to factor in on-time utility and cell phone payments into your credit score.
• Keep Credit Cards Open: Avoid closing credit cards to maintain your average account age and available credit.
• Set Up Automatic Payments: Automate payments to ensure you never miss a due date.
• Pay Off Debt Twice a Month: Make two payments monthly to keep balances low and improve your utilization ratio.
• Dispute Errors on Your Credit Report: Request a free report from AnnualCreditReport.com and dispute inaccuracies with credit bureaus.
• Consolidate High-Interest Debt with a Personal Loan: Reduce your credit card balances by consolidating them into a single, lower-interest loan.
• Open a Secured Credit Card: Build credit with a secured card by making small, manageable purchases and paying them off each month.
• Use the Snowball or Avalanche Method: Pay off small debts first (Snowball) or high-interest debts first (Avalanche) to manage balances effectively.
• Add Rent Payments to Your Credit History: Use services like Rental Kharma or CreditMyRent to report rent payments to credit bureaus.
• Ask for a Goodwill Adjustment: Request a creditor to remove a late payment from your record if you have a good history.
• Avoid New Credit Applications: Minimize hard inquiries on your credit report until after buying your home.
• Diversify Your Credit Mix: Add a small loan or car loan to improve your credit mix responsibly.
• Pay Off Small Balances: Clear small balances on multiple cards to improve your credit report.
• Settle Delinquent Accounts: Negotiate with creditors to settle delinquent accounts and mark them “paid in full.”
• Use a Credit Builder Loan: Build credit with a loan that holds funds in savings until paid in full.
• Keep Your Oldest Account Active: Use your oldest credit card occasionally to maintain its activity.
• Plan Purchases Around Reporting Dates: Pay off balances before the billing cycle closes to report a low balance.