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Often times clean credit can mean the difference between being approved or denied on a credit or employment application, and it can also greatly affect the interest rates of any products you receive if you are approved.
The “definition” of clean credit actually varies from location to location. According to Credit Karma, the average credit score in the Gulf Coast states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia is a 600, with Florida the highest at 614 and Mississippi the lowest at just 584. The largest state of Texas has an average score of 605. These scores are lower than almost every other state in the nation, meaning that a credit score of 605 in Mississippi might qualify you for much better rates and products than the same score in New Hampshire where the average score is 636.
Take a look at the map and find out the average credit score in your state. If you have a credit score which is lower than these averages, then your definition of clean credit should be to improve your credit score until it is at least as high as the average. Once your score is above average for your location, you’ll start to realize the benefits of having good credit. Obviously the higher above average you are, the more significant your savings and opportunities will be.
If you don’t have clean credit right now, you might be wondering how to achieve “clean credit”. The first step is often to take a thorough look at your credit reports to determine if any of the information on them is inaccurate. Negative information on your credit report can often times be removed for a variety of reasons, and there are some easy and immediate first steps you can take to get clean credit.
You’ll want to review your credit reports and dispute the items which aren’t accurate. This will help to remove negative information. At the same time, you want to add positive account information to your credit profiles by opening certain kinds of accounts and making sure that you pay them on-time.
Regardless of your credit situation secured credit cards and secured loans are outstanding and cost effective tools for adding positive information to your credit profile. There are also companies who will report payments you already make to the credit bureaus as positive trade-lines. Many times these companies charge a fee for their services, however if you’re in the market for a big loan such as a mortgage the benefit you receive may be worth it. One company is called Rental Kharma, and for a fee they will report two years of your rent payments to the credit bureaus as positive account information which could increase your score.
Whatever your situation, clean credit can be obtained and used to improve the quality of your life, but you must be proactive in learning everything you can about credit, credit reporting, your credit scores, and how everything comes together to either save or cost you thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of dollars over your life.
I highly recommend a book on Amazon called “Hidden Credit Repair Secrets” by a man named Mark Clayborne. It is quite possibly the most comprehensive credit repair book on Amazon. You can also find a ton of additional resources online and here at Liberty Credit Consulting so that you can fix your credit yourself for free.
You can also download our comprehensive credit repair manual right now for free.
Clean Credit: Consumer Credit Repair Made Easy