How to fix my own credit FAQ

Can I fix my credit quick?
Well yes and no, You will probably see some results within 30 to 60 days,  but too see solid results it will take anywhere from 4 to 8 months, and if your credit is really bad or you just come out of a bankruptcy, expect anywhere from 1 to 2 years.
Can I dispute my debit with the credit originator?
You could certainly do that, in my point of view is a waste of time, I would not personally go that route, Credit originators go the extra mile to not help you fix your credit, and even if they decide to they will do an investigation first, and if they see you favorably, they might take the bad item first, I find much more efficient to deal with the credit bureau first and then work something old with the credit originator.
How many points does my credit go up when I erase one bad item?
Well it really depends on the stage of your FICO score and also the bad item that you are deleting. I had a credit spike of 50 points when I deleted one bad credit card debt on my report, now if you delete one credit inquire you might see your FICO score go up 2-3 points. The important thing is to keep working at getting your credit score high and not looking back, also keep paying your bills and stop inquiring for new credit while repairing your credit, that will insure maximum results.
What should I do if the credit card company lowered my limit thus taking me over the credit limit?
This is a very common practice by the credit card companies with the economy downturn, they will lowered your balance and sometimes without even letting you know. But you should not be that close to your credit limit anyway, now if you had a $10k credit card and you had a balance of say $4k and the credit card lowered your credit limit to $5k, your credit score will hurt no matter what, just do you best to bring that balance to under 50% of your limit.
How many times is your credit run when shopping for a mortgage?
When shopping for a new house or a new car, mortgage companies and dealers will run your credit left and right, you could expect to see your credit pulled anywhere from 4 to 6 times, but at least the credit bureaus will give you a little break when they see a pattern of credit checks indicating that you are shopping for a house or a car, your credit will usually drop 2-3 points for every time a creditor run your credit, but credit bureau will group these close inquires made by a mortgage company and your credit most likely will only drop 2-3 points one time.
Can I pay someone to fix my credit?
You could certainly do that, in this site I will teach you all the tools to fix your credit by yourself, but as I said here using a Credit Repair agency, there is certainly big advantages in using a credit repair agency to help you fixing your credit, the biggest being the hassle and the amount of time needed to fix your credit by yourself.
Does credit repair agencies really work?
Yes they do. You just have to shop around for the right agency. I am finishing a small study on credit agencies that I know and I will be publishing my top 10 or 5 ( I don’t know if there is 10 out there!) credit repair agencies. You just really have to be careful and investigate the agencies that you are using, there has been a recently crack down in some of these agencies by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) in some of these agencies that promises more that they can deliver.
How to fix my own credit?
You could start here clean up your credit report

Do I lose points in checking my own credit?
No. these type of credit checks are consider soft checks and you will not lose any points on your FICO score.
Can I fix charge offs on my own?
Well, as I previously said you can pretty much fix anything on your credit by yourself, is just time consuming and you will have to keep sending letters ( sample of letter to credit bureau )for the credit bureau until the item is out of your credit report.

How to get my credit report with FICO score?
You can get your report for free, but you will probably have to pay for your FICO score, and most of these sites that promises to give you your credit report and your FICO score for free is probably selling your information. The best place to get your report is Annual credit report dot com, just google it. You could get one free copy of your credit repair per year from each Bureau. Experian, Equifax or Transunion. Once on the site you will have to request the reports one by one. Or you could order your credit report directly from each of these agencies. Each of these agencies have a 3-in-1 credit report with credit score, and it will run you about $30 bucks for it. However you do it, its important to have all 3 credit reports, if you order just one you are doing things half a$$, all the 3 credit reports will contain different information. And you want to make sure you are the one inquiring this information, if you ask your buddy at the bank to pull the credit report for you, you will be losing points on your score.
How to get a free credit report?
Annual credit report dot com, you have the right by law to receive one credit report per year from each credit bureau.
How long do I have to wait after the bankruptcy to fix my credit?
As soon as the court clears you from your bankruptcy you could start working on your credit, the sooner the better if you ask me.
What is the fastest way to fix my credit?
As mentioned above there is no magic bullet, you will have to wait anywhere from 6 to 8 months to see significant results on your credit score.
Should I fix my credit on my own or use a credit repair agency?
I would use a credit repair agency just because of the convenience, if you have plenty of time in hands go ahead, give it a go, but I will definitely shed the $60 or $80 bucks a month just because of the credit repair agency expertise and just because I am too lazy! Please read using a Credit Repair agency

Should I consider Debt consolidation prior to trying to fix my credit?
The case for debt consolidation can be made for some individuals, if you are in a situation where the amount of debt that you have comes from high interest credit cards , and you are a bit overwhelmed with the amount of bills that you have, and you think that you might benefit from just one payment a month, it might be right for you, but this is not my bag, for debt consolidation plan and tips, please visit the link.