Credit repair specialists have reputations that match those of lawyers, politicians and used car salesmen. In other words, few people trust them and we only use them when we must. To find a good credit repair specialist, you need to know how to recognize one, and this starts by knowing a little about your rights.
There are two acts that you should read and gain a little understanding of before starting your search. These acts are the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) which comprehensively explains your rights and the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) which regulates the credit repair industry.
Once you have read these acts you will have a reasonable understanding of what your rights and obligations are going to be. I said that credit repair specialists were like lawyers or politicians for a reason. They will often make big but rather rash claims yet not live up to any their obligations. If you know what your rights are, you will soon see through their claims.
If a credit repair specialist promises:
a range of results before even examining your paperwork; results will be seen almost overnight; Suggest or recommend that you create a second credit file Request that you pay for services before they are provided; Tell you that you cannot do the same thing yourself because only they have the know-how; and, Tell you that they can erase accurate information from your credit report (only inaccurate information can be erased from your credit file).
then steer clear of them. Credit repair cannot happen overnight – it takes some real work to achieve and that should be one of the first things a prospective credit repair specialist tells you.
To find the specialist that is right for you will take time. There are several things you can do to help facilitate the process. I have already mentioned knowing the facts as an essential starting point. There are two other factors that you should consider: time in business and reputation.
If a credit repair specialist has been in business for several years then you know they will have the skills required to do the job. If you add their reputation to the equation you will have the perfect result. There are few credit repair specialists that have ‘great’ reputations. What you are looking for are specialists who at least don’t have a poor reputation. Use both the online and offline world to research their reputations.
Once you find a reasonable candidate, talk to them. Do they talk your language? If they only talk in legalese, forget them. You need to be able to communicate in a language you understand – after all, it is your credit future they will be playing with. If you find a credit repair specialist that has been around for awhile, has a reasonable reputation and is easy to communicate with, you have just about found the best people for the job.