We’ve been talking about how credit scoring works and the things you can do yourself to improve your score. But what if you need a little more help? You can have a credit reporting company actually help you improve your credit score to help you qualify for your mortgage loan.

Let’s assume that we have run your credit report, and your credit scores are too low to qualify, or your scores could be higher to qualify you for a better interest rate on a conventional loan. You can then start the Game Plan.

The credit experts at the Game Plan will analyze your credit report, provide specific directions for you to follow on each tradeline that needs maintenance, and create a 5-10 page Credit Game Plan specifically designed for you. They will even run a new credit report at the end of 90 days to make sure you are on track (this credit pull will not count as an inquiry as it will be a “soft pull”).

The Game Plan is different from Rapid Re-scoring. Rapid Re-scoring is used when you have absolute, documented proof that the information on your credit report is incorrect, and you are willing to pay up to $40 per tradeline, per credit bureau, per borrower to get it corrected in as little as 2-3 days. For one tradeline reported by all three credit bureaus in a husband and wife’s name, that 6 instances times $40 for a total of $240. Additionally, Rapid Re-score only changes the information at the reporting level, not with the credit bureaus themselves.

The Game Plan takes longer, but it’s a permanent fix with the credit bureaus, and information that is not absolutely documented can be used to make the changes. The one time charge of $49.95 is valid for the length of the program, whether is takes 90 days or 12 months.

The Game Plan is NOT credit repair. Many of the “credit repair” companies that you hear about will slam the credit bureaus with letters challenging items on your credit report. The credit bureaus have become wise to these “methods”, and they are not addressing files with these letters as quickly or giving them as much attention.

If we determine that you could benefit by improving your credit scores, the Game Plan may the right tool for you.