Check credit online Illinois

Im hoping that some careful planning will help me avoid some unnecessary headaches along the way.

One lesson I learned when I bought my current apartment is that I should have checked my credit reports before check credit online Illinois I applied for a mortgage. Ive always had good credit so I didnt bother pulling my reports before I applied for a home loan.

But once my mortgage broker started contacting banks, we discovered that my file contained an error and I couldnt move forward until I cleared up the confusion. The good news is that its easy to get a free credit report. And as Ive learned, doing so is certainly worth the effort. All you have to do is go to AnnualCreditReport.com. If you find some erroneous information, you can contact the credit bureaus and file a dispute. With this home purchase, however, I dont want to simply glance at my credit reports. I would like to see what the lenders are looking at. In other words, I wish check credit online Illinois to review my FICO credit score.

Some people would argue that this isnt necessary since lenders are more interested in your behavior (for example, do you pay your bills on time) rather than your number. But I still check credit online Illinois think it will be helpful since check credit online Illinois the best interest rates go to the home buyers with the highest scores. free credit reports with score Once I confirm that I qualify for the most competitive rates, Ill be able to better budget how much home I can afford to buy and argue with any lender that may try to convince me I should pay more than I have to for a mortgage. You need Javascript enabled to view the video player.

All you have to do is log onto MyFICO.com and sign up for the free trial of Score Watch. (You get to test drive the product for 10 days before your check credit online Illinois $14.95 monthly subscription officially starts.) I did this a few days ago and got to see my official number.

The product also walked me through all of the accounts listed on my credit file and it explained what I could do to check credit online Illinois raise my score. (I need to start check credit online Illinois using more cash instead of relying so heavily on my credit card check credit online Illinois for my daily purchases.) I also discovered check credit online Illinois that my report once again contains an error I will have to fix. free credit report check Hopefully it wont be too check credit online Illinois difficult to convince the credit bureaus that I dont live in New York check credit online Illinois and Texas. My favorite Score Watch feature is that it simulates what will happen to my credit score (within a range) if I do different things, including applying for a home or auto loan. I find this particularly helpful since it reminded me that check credit online Illinois I should secure my mortgage before check credit online Illinois buying a car. If I had average check credit online Illinois credit and wanted to work toward raising my score, I would probably consider keeping this service and paying the subscription fee. The product explains what activity is weighing on your risk profile and what you can do check credit online Illinois to improve it. Then, as you change your behavior you can watch as check credit online Illinois your number rises.

As for my next move, its time to pull my official credit report and dispute that Texas address. Did you pull your credit reports before applying for a mortgage?

Stacey Bradford is the author of The Wall Street Journal Financial Guidebook check credit online Illinois for New Parents. www.free credit report

MyFico Equifax Score image courtesy of Flickr, CC 2.0.

Families: How to Find a Great Neighborhood How Much House Can You Really Afford? Families: Stop Spending and Start Saving Subscribe to this discussion check credit online Illinois via Email or RSS The adjustable rate mortgage that I had before had me nearly to the brink of check credit online Illinois bankruptcy because of the never-ending payment increases.