How Can I Improve My Credit Score?

Whether you’re looking to buy your first ‘starter’ home or if you’re in the process of downsizing or upgrading your current home, one thing is certain. Your credit score and report will be very important pieces of information used by possible lenders when they determine your credit worthiness.

Not sure what your credit score is? If you have not been tracking your credit score number and have little to no idea what can be found on your credit report – breathe a sigh of relief. This is the easy part; and it’s free, too!

How to order a FREE copy of your credit report

In the United States, there are three national credit reporting agencies:

1. Equifax
2. TransUnion
3. Experian

Each of the three credit reporting agencies (sometimes called credit bureaus) make it their practice to gather pertinent financial information about you as you move through life, making money decisions every day. Every significant financial choice you make regarding your finances (ex.: credit card history, bank account activity, mortgage payment history, utility payments, and late or missed payments) will most likely show up on your credit report and can affect your credit score.

The three credit reporting agencies will provide you with a free copy of your credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the only site that is federally authorized to share your credit report with you.

One of the areas with a huge effect on your credit score is real estate and mortgages. Buying a home is a huge expenditure, and one that requires most people to take out a large loan. Getting approved for a mortgage loan can be difficult when you’ve made some missteps in your financial history that are reflected in your credit report and score.

If you’ve never given much thought to your credit score before, you are not alone. Many people don’t know what their score is until they are declined by a lender. However, chances are that if you’re reading this, you have learned what your current credit score is, and you want to find out how to make the number go up.

As a certified New Jersey credit repair attorney who specializes in debt negotiation and real estate, I know first-hand how disheartening it can be for my clients when they can’t seem to make a difference in their credit score. Our team at Veitengruber Law works one-on-one to help people in this situation every day.

In addition to consulting with our private clients, we’ve made it a priority to provide free seminars and workshops throughout Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington and Atlantic County. Our next upcoming workshop will focus on the ‘five C’s of credit,’ and will educate attendees about what lenders are looking for when they review your credit report. Event details include:

• When: March 22, 2016; 7:00 PM
• Where: Investors Bank; 3265 US Hwy 9, Freehold, NJ
• Who: Open to the public
• How much: FREE
• Why: Consider attending this workshop if you want to gain a better understanding of your credit report and what lenders want to see in order to approve you for a real estate mortgage loan.
• Who: Presented by Investors Bank and Veitengruber Law
• More Details: Call Ivy Jacot at our office (732-695-3303 x 103) or Edith Legg at Investors Bank (732-780-0600) if you have any questions or want to learn more about the workshop.

We hope to see you there!

Buying, Selling and Keeping Your NJ Home

Have you always dreamed of owning your own home? For many people, first time home ownership can be daunting, and may seem like it’s always just slightly out of reach.

Perhaps it’s been a lifelong goal of yours to take the leap into investing in real estate. Although it can be a very profitable endeavor, there is a lot to learn about the buying and selling process before jumping in!

You may already be a homeowner but have found yourself struggling to make your mortgage payment every month. If this is the case, you need information you can trust about what to do in order to keep the home you worked so hard to buy.

If you fit into any of the three categories above, you are a great candidate for the upcoming real estate seminar presented by the Greater Monmouth Chamber of Commerce.

What: Buying, Selling & Keeping Your Home – A Real Estate Seminar for Everyone

Why: You’ll learn all about the process of becoming a first time homeowner, including credit readiness and financial planning. Also presented in break out sessions will be: how to successfully invest in real estate, what to expect when purchasing and flipping distressed homes, buying and selling homes that are in foreclosure, as well as how to successfully modify your mortgage so that it works for your life.

Who: Anyone with an interest in learning about these topics is welcome to attend. A keynote speaker along with ten experts in different areas of real estate will present and work interactively with the attendees so that everyone leaves feeling empowered to make excellent real estate decisions.

When: Saturday, April 25, 2015
9:00AM – 1:00PM

Where: Jack Aaronson Conference Center
CentraState Healthcare System
901 West Main Street
Freehold, NJ 07728

How Much: $5 (Register Online) or $10 (At the Door)

Veitengruber Law will be represented by George Veitengruber, Esq. in the Home Ownership Preservation breakout session. George brings his extensive legal experience in real estate, foreclosures, bankruptcy, and credit repair to the table. He will be joined in his session by Barbara Quintanal and Maureen Rodriguez – Certified Housing Counselors for Navicore Solutions.

If you’re interested in the Real Estate Investing session, you’ll have the chance to work closely with Ashleigh Johnson – a partner at Financial Title, LLC, Giovana Onorato – Expert Real Estate Investor, and Jonathan Raneiri – a financial planner with Merrill Lynch.

The First Time Home Buyers session will be led by Matt Rossine – a loan originator with Home Mortgage, “Mortgage Marvin” Rosenburg – branch manager of Absolute Home Mortgage Corp., Jason Garrett – RE/MAX broker/salesman, and Neil Kipnis – certified ASHI home inspector.

Read more about the presenters and their specific skill sets below:

Not only will you get a ton of expert information, but this workshop will also have FOOD! A light breakfast along with snacks and drinks will be available. There will also be GIFT BAGS and door prizes.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Image Credit: Nickname

Free NJ Workshop: How to Build a Better Credit Report

Having a good, solid credit score is important for so many reasons. A mediocre or low score can prevent you from becoming a home owner because lenders look closely at potential borrowers’ credit reports before approving loan applications. A less-than-stellar credit report can even make it difficult to find a landlord who’ll allow you to rent. Your credit report and score say a lot about your financial stability, and even if all of your money missteps are behind you, improving your credit score and cleaning up your credit report will take some time and concerted effort.

Since you’ve landed on this post, you’ve probably already acknowledged that your credit report needs help. Reaching out for help is a great sign! One word of caution is that there are a plethora of companies that will promise to clean up your credit report in record time, offering you a virtually “new credit identity.” A vast majority of these companies are fraudulent, and should be avoided at all costs. Often, they are engaging in illegal activities that can potentially get you in serious legal trouble if you give them your information.

All hope is not lost, though! Building a better credit report is possible with the help of a qualified and NJ licensed credit repair attorney like George Veitengruber, Esq.

It may seem daunting to consider hiring an attorney to help you improve your credit report. Pay out even more money in order to fix your money mistakes? Lucky for you, Veitengruber Law is offering up a TON of FREE pertinent information that will help you start improving your credit score.

There’s no catch, we promise. You can come out and ask all the questions you’d like. Bring a recent copy of your credit report if you have one, so that you can ask all of the right questions while looking directly at your report – free of charge.

The Details

What:   ‘Building a Better Credit Report‘ – a FREE informational workshop

When: January 29, 2015; 7:00 – 8:30pm

Where: Howell Public Library; 318 Old Tavern Rd. Howell, NJ  07731

Why: You’ll learn: how to start improving your credit score, your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, how to better deal with debt, tips about avoiding $$$ scams and identity theft.

Who: Presented by George E. Veitengruber, Esq.

Cost: FREE

RSVP: To reserve your space, call The Howell Public Library at 732-695-3303.