How to improve your credit score. Millions of people in the United States saw their credit affected by the economic crisis and now that unemployment has dropped and it seems that new economic opportunities arise, they ask if they can buy a home at some point.

The answer is that if your credit does not improve, even if you have another excellent job will be difficult or impossible to get approved for the loan. But the good news is that time heals everything, as a saying goes, and even a “bad” credit or very poor score, can be improved.

There are hundreds of companies that promise to repair your credit, but what many people do not know is that they can do much by themselves to regain good credit.

Follow these steps to improve your credit score:

1)    Search job or extra income. Good intentions to pay is not enough. If you do not have a fixed and reasonable income to cover your expenses despite efforts to make money, you’ll never fall into arrears on your payments. If not enough income is present or what you want, consider an additional job.

2)     Check your credit report. It’s funny how many people have no idea of ​​how their credit looks, and you answer “I believe that it is  good,” or “something wrong, but not” when you are asked for your credit status. In the United States there is a law for you to receive your free credit report each year from the three major credit bureaus.

3)    Scan credit reports and refute any error. It is sometimes thought that because credit is “damaged”, it is not worth disputing accounts that are not yours, or delays that we are not entitled. It is a mistake, if you had credit problems at least make sure that what appears in the report is real, not something that you have to do that is made up or in error.

4)     Start again. Decide how you will make for the new beginning. If you have a financial advisor, make sure it’s a reliable person (you’ll be providing sensitive information); searches for reviews of their services and find out about any complaint or claim has been made​​. Now it’s easy with social networking and the internet. If you decide to do it yourself, analyze your income, expenses and debts today. Make a budget and evaluate if you can cut expenses.

5) Make a real savings plan, even minimum savings will help.

6) Start using pre-paid cards. They will give you good control over your money and in some cases could be used as an indicator of how you handle your budget to grant you credit.

7) Keep your eye on your bank account. Keep it on excellent terms and never default, because in addition to penalties for the bank, this is precisely the same bank that could offer you new credit. If you do, they will assess your movements in your checking or savings account.

8) When you get new credit cards, you use them wisely. If possible, pay off the monthly balance, which will show two things, you have ability to pay and you control your spending. Do not take it to the limit full credit. Also key, is to pay on time, if possible before time and more than the minimum payment that you established.

9) Take care in and be timely in paying your monthly rent and other obligations such as water, electricity, cable and phone. That taken into account to grant you new credit including a mortgage.

10) Be patient. Improving your credit score will take time and if you had a bankruptcy or loss on accounts, which take years to disappear from your credit report, affecting your “credit score”.  If you show that the problem affected you  and you have ability to pay back, that will be a mitigating circumstance when evaluating a loan.