Repairing your credit history and raising your credit score isn’t impossible, but it is important to have realistic expectations with regard to the amount of time it will take to do so. There are some things you can do quickly that will help repair and raise your credit score in a short amount of time such as a couple of months, but there are some things that will take longer to repair and could take up to a year or more.
Get a copy of your credit report from all three credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, and Transunion), they are each required to provide you with one free copy of your credit report each year. You can get a copy of your credit report from each agency through annualcreditreport.com Each agencies report will likely be different and may have different things on them, so this is why it is important to make sure you get your report from each agency. Make sure you review your credit report thoroughly and find any areas of improvement that are necessary. Then make a plan to improve those areas within a reasonable time frame and get to work!
It is also a good idea to know your credit score from all three bureaus. While websites like Credit Karma and Credit Sesame are great for personal monitoring and tracking, they are not always accurate. Your credit score will not be included in your free credit report, so to get your accurate credit (FICO) scores you will need to visit myfico.com (you may be required to pay a small fee for this service). When the mortgage lender pulls your credit scores, they will use the middle of the three scores as your overall credit score.