If you have bad credit and are trying to do self help credit repair there are a few things you need to know before you begin. First you have to really sit down and take a good look at your credit repair goals and then decide for yourself how you want to go about tackling the problem. You can get a lot of satisfaction out of self help credit repair as you will not only put yourself in a better position as a consumer but you will be able to do so without having to shell out your hard earned money to a credit repair agency.

The first thing you should do before you start any self help credit repair program is to obtain credit reports separately from all three credit reporting bureaus.
By obtaining separate credit reports you will know exactley what each bureau is reporting and what to dispute when you start your self help credit repair. Credit reports can be purchase directly from the reporting agencies at their websites listed below.

trans union http://www.transunion.com

Equifax http://www.equifax.com

Experian http://www.experian.com

When you consider your credit and repairing it, remember amounts owed on debt items attributes to 30% of your credit rating. It is good practice to spread debt over many accounts than to carry a large debt load on fewer accounts. You want to focus on keeping your balances under 50%, but preferably around 30% of your credit limits.

If you have any account such as a JC Penney's or Sears Card with a zero balance, you may want to use that card for small purchases to re-establish a good credit history. Using credit wisely and utilizing existing accounts can improve your credit rating.

If you decide to pursue self help credit repair the Internet is a great source of information. You can but E-books and join community forums all dedicated to self help credit repair. Many times the community forums are free to join and E-books range in price from $7-$200 to download and review. By taking it slowly and educating yourself along the way you can definitely have a positive self help credit repair experience and save a substantial amount of money be not using a credit repair company.

If you have bad credit and want to improve your credit score there are several steps you can take. Obtain your credit reports and dispute any inaccuracies. To improve your credit score pay down your outstanding debt and remember to make your payments on time.