HUGE SUPER SECRET WAY TO IMPROVE YOUR CREDIT!

The attitude conveyed in the first bullet of this release drives me nuts.

You want to know how to improve your credit? Spend only what you can afford and pay your bills on time. It's that simple: if you don't have the money, don't spend it. If you use credit cards, then pay them off in full every single month. Each penny of interest you give to a lender is money you could have kept and spent or invested. 20% on a thousand dollar balance over a year is enough for a new HDTV. You want that HDTV, right? Then spend what you have to spend and then STOP SPENDING. Put together a budget with cash in envelopes and stop using credit cards altogether if you have to. Once you have a proven track record of keeping your word by paying your bills on time, your credit score will recover. I promise.

Consider something for a moment... If you have to work to improve your credit rating, do you have the bill paying track record and fiscal judgment to buy a house? If you have to play games to get a bank to give you money at a reasonable rate, shouldn't that send up some warning flags? Why not see if you can't get your financial house in order before piling on the additional stresses and expenses of owning a house?

Don't get me wrong. I believe home ownership strengthens neighborhoods and is usually a great investment. But when someone with minimal financial discipline and resources buys a home, that home will likely be foreclosed or resold in short order. That's not good for neighborhoods or families. Nor is a family giving away a huge chunk of their spending on sub-prime loan interest when they could be investing that money in their family. If all someone can get is a variable rate or sub prime loan, then they shouldn't buy the house.

I don't know this dude out of Michigan. But I do know and trust some folks at NeighborWorks. If you are at risk of losing your home or interested in getting your first give them a call. Either way, the sooner the better. They can't help you until you call. If your fiscal house is in order, there are some OUTSTANDING deals out there right now. If not, they will help you get there.