Doug Digs Real Estate

by Brandon Cornett

Errors within your credit reports can negatively affect your credit score, making it lower than it really should be.

In turn, this makes it harder to qualify for a home loan, a car loan, or obtain any form of financial lending for that matter. And if you do qualify for financing, you will almost certainly pay a higher interest rate because of that score. So errors on those reports must be identified and correcting, no matter how long it takes you.

Before we go any further, I want to point out an important distinction. In this article, I am not offering tips on how to improve a credit score (one that is low because of bad financial habits on the part of the consumer). Instead, I’m focusing on plain old mistakes on your reports, such as a line of credit that should not be there, or a documented bankruptcy that never happened, etc.

In other words, I’m telling you how to fix things that aren’t your fault. So with that clear, let’s press on!

The “How” of Correcting Errors

The first thing you need to understand is that you have three different reports, and they contain exclusive / proprietary data as opposed to “shared” data. This means that you could actually see different information on all three of them.

It also means that you could encounter a mistake on one particular report (the one from TransUnion, for example), while the data provided by Equifax and Experian appeared to be correct. So if you ever have to dispute a mistake on your information, you must contact the company that produced the erroneous report, as the information provided is specific to that company.

All three of the companies mentioned above have a “Disputes” section of their website. That’s where you need to go in order to get the ball rolling. Filling out a dispute form is a way of saying, “Hey, this information is incorrect, and you need to fix it because it’s affecting my financial status!”

So, you found an error on one or more of your credit reports and you have diligently submitted a dispute / correction form through the appropriate website above. That’s all there is to it, right?

Unfortunately, no…

You Are Not a Preferred Customer

Here’s something else you should take away from this article. When you first begin contacting a credit-reporting company about a mistake within your information, you will quickly realize that you are not their customer. You will realize this because they will probably treat you in a fashion that suggests the same.

The mortgage company who pays to obtain your credit information is their customer. The car dealer who pays for this information is also their customer too. But you are not their customer. You are a number … a piece of data to them. And when you start demanding their review of a potential mistake, you become a nuisance as well.

Is this right and fair? Of course not. Personally, I don’t think a private company should even be able to collect such information. And if they do collect such information, they should be proactive about safeguarding the data and ensuring the correctness of it. But this is not the case.

I just want you to understand the reality of the situation before you become involved with it. When you go into the process understanding the dynamic, you’ll be better prepared for what you must do next, which is to stay on top of them until things are sorted out!

Weak Legislation to the Rescue

As you have probably guessed, the three credit-reporting agencies are regulated by Congress. However, “regulation” in this context just means there are some rules on paper — it doesn’t mean those rules are actually enforced. Specifically, the Fair Credit Reporting Act dictates certain obligations these companies have, with regard to maintaining credit information on consumers. (and correcting that information when it is clearly in error).

The law was created back in 1970, and it has been more recently amended (2003) to try and force the credit-reporting companies to be more responsive. Still, many consumer advocates argue that the act does not go far enough to protect consumers, that it is lazily enforced, and that the core problems that prompted the creation of the act are still very much around today.

The credit-reporting companies are not governmental organizations, as many consumers believe. They are companies driven by profit. In other words, it’s in their interest to make as money as possible (as with any other company), but it’s not necessarily in their interest to look after consumers.

As a last resort — if you’re previous efforts to correct reporting errors have proven unsuccessful — you can sue the company who has produced the erroneous information. If you can prove that certain information is false, and that the report has thus caused you financial harm, you could be entitled to damages (monies) paid by the company.

About the Author: Brandon Cornett is the publisher of Home Buying Institute, an educational website that offers hundreds of helpful articles for home buyers. Learn how to improve your credit score by visiting the author’s website at http://www.homebuyinginstitute.com

by Brandon Cornett

When you buy a home, your mortgage lender will require a homeowners insurance policy in order to protect their interest in the home. In most cases, the lending institution owns most of the home during the first years of the home, until the homeowner gains equity. So it only makes sense that lenders want to protect their investment in the home.

But this policy protects your investment in the home, as well. It gives you peace of mind that, in the event of a loss, you will be covered in some form or fashion. So you should make sure you get solid coverage from a reputable insurance provider.

With that being said, it sure is nice to save money wherever possible. And this goes for insurance policies as well. Here are some of the ways you can lower the overall cost you pay for a homeowners insurance policy.

Compare Insurance Companies

When you compare one provider to another, you are doing two important things at once. First, and most obvious, you are finding out who offers the lowest rates for a comparable level of coverage. Secondly, you are learning about the different types of coverage these companies provide, including the many components that make up a policy, the terminology associated with it, etc. Both of these items are important when trying to lower the cost you pay out of pocket.

Save Time by Using the Internet

The good news is that you can conduct much of the above-mentioned research fairly easily, just by using the Internet. In the past, you had to make a lot of phone calls (or even office visits) to compare insurance companies and policies. There are many big insurance websites that allow you to do this. But as always, watch out for scam websites that ask for too much personal information up front.

Another benefit to getting a home insurance quote online is the speed factor. Using the Internet, you can accomplish in a few hours what used to take a few days or even weeks.

Improve Your Credit Score

These days, in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis of 2007 – 2008, it’s more important than ever to have a good credit score. For one thing, mortgage lenders require that borrowers have higher scores these days to get the best loan rates. But there’s another good reason to maintain good credit. Many insurance companies are beginning to use this factor when determining the price for policies.

Raise Deductible to Lower the Costs

The deductible is the money you would pay toward a loss before your insurance policy would cover the rest. If you have coverage on your car, you are probably familiar with the concept of deductibles. It’s the same basic concept with a homeowner policy.

You can lower your premium by raising your deductible amount. Many financial experts recommend doing this as a way of lowering premium costs. The logic is that you know for certain that you’ll pay the premium on your policy, but there’s only a small statistical chance of suffering a loss and having to file an actual claim. So this approach seeks to lower the amount you know you’re going to pay (the premium) by increasing the amount you may never have to pay (the deductible).

Purchasing insurance for your home can be a balance between cost and coverage. You want to control the former without sacrificing the latter. I hope this article has given you the knowledge and confidence you need to accomplish these goals.

About the Author: Brandon Cornett is the publisher of Home Insurance World (a new service of the Home Buying Institute). To learn more about this important topic, or to get online quotes, visit the author’s website at http://www.homebuyinginstitute.com/insurance