How Credit Repair Helped Me Regain My Buying Power After College and Student Loans
Bad Credit in my 20s? Yikes.
At 26, I feel like I’m way too young to have bad credit because of the student loans. And yet, 5 months ago I pulled my credit score through my bank’s phone App and realized I needed to do something about it. A FICO score of 574 was not a good place to be. One of my friends in the mortgage industry told me that being in the 700s is ideal for most purchases like buying a car or getting approved for a home. That was my goal in the near future.
Mistakes Were Made | How Student Loans and Medical Collections Got On My Credit Report
So how did I end up with bad credit in my mid 20s? Well, during college I had signed an apartment lease with two friends and we ended up breaking the lease 6 months in. That ended up on my credit. I also made the mistake of accepting too many credit card offers. You know, the ones you get in the mail. I was irresponsible with payments. Then, my junior year, a trip to the emergency room landed me with a 1200 bill, and that had gone to collections as I was getting phone calls from a collection agency. As you might have guessed, all of this made it onto my credit report.
Oh. And let’s not forget the student loans.
Like most of my friends, I had taken on quite a bit of debt in the form of student loans through college. I had been late a few times on several of those payments, and it was all showing on my credit report.
My Credit Repair Journey with Liz
A friend referred me to White, Jacobs and Associates. I googled them and they seemed legit. They had hundreds of 5-star reviews. The consultation was free so I figured, why not? I spoke with Liz Rios and she was extremely patient in answering my questions about how it worked, what was required from me, and the cost. Liz told me the program would last a maximum of 6 months, and I’d probably start to see results within the first 45 days. She gave me specific instructions on what to do during the process and best of all, she would guide me through it all. My very own credit expert!
I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather work with ONE person instead of calling in to a customer service department and explaining my story time and time again. Even before we started the program, she took the time to explain the process and gave me clear instructions on what to do (and what not to do) while her team went to work on my credit. During the program, she was available to answer my questions and kept me updated.
A Custom Process that Got Me Results After My Student Loans Debt
One unique thing about WJA is that they go after EVERYTHING on your credit report from the beginning. And, they don’t just send dispute letters. Their 4-round auditing process is backed by an in-house law firm and they customize everything based on the responses received from the credit bureaus and creditors.
The results speak for themselves. After 60 days, we pulled my credit and my midscore had gone up to 654. By the end of the program, Liz and her team were able to get most of the items removed from my report and my credit score was in the high 600s and rising. I can’t tell you the confidence this has given me. Not only that, but Liz also gave me a long-term plan to continue building my credit. She shared several credit tips that will help me manage my financial situation much smarter moving forward.
If you are in a similar situation – get help. Credit is a lot more complex than you might think. If you don’t get help at White, Jacobs and Associates – please get help somewhere.