Any American male can tell you that, in romance, timing is everything!

Flowers delivered two days after her birthday will not be given the same response as on the day of her birthday. There could be hell to pay unless a good excuse is offered!

When you do something is critically important to your credit scores.

Much of the time, in my business as a mortgage loan officer, I see clients coming in and want to improve their credit scores in one week. Unless a person has a lot of credit debt and money to pay it off right away, this is usually not possible.

Credit scores take a while to show off the grooming you have done, or not done, to them. Giving yourself a full six months to get ready for your "close-up" will pay off big when you plan to borrow money to buy a car or a house. You may need even more time if you are looking to add over 40 points to your scores.

Many of the "rules" that are taught about credit are written so that you will avoid problems on your way to buying a house or a car. It is said, "Don't pay off collections", "avoid inquiries", and "no closing of accounts".

Several inquiries for home mortgages will not hurt you because the most modern scoring model expects you to shop for a mortgage. The time frame for this happening on a home loan is 45 days.

This is also true for auto loans. That time frame for this is 14 days. If you like to test drive cars and they pull your credit once a month for 6 months, you could be doing yourself damage.

Collections can be paid off and the item completely deleted from your report if you negotiate successfully for that. I advise that you avoid paying off any collection without negotiating for a complete deletion. If they absolutely will not delete, you can pay them off safely after your escrow closes. Most loan underwriters will allow this to happen at the closing of the transaction for real estate.

If you are not planning to borrow for a car or a mortgage for the next six months to two years, then do the things that will protect your credit in the future. Close accounts that you must close to protect yourself, pay off collections, open new accounts, and charge your credit cards up past 30% of their limits if you need to.

Your credit score is only a number. It is an important number when you want to borrow money; just don't lie awake at night worrying about it after the escrow has closed.

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