YOUR NEXT STEP TOWARD HOME
Get Your Free Credit Reports
Before paying anyone to fix your credit, find out what your reports actually say.
Start at the official source
AnnualCreditReport.com is the federally authorized source for free credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Free weekly online reports are available. Get and save each report; information may differ between bureaus.
You do not need to buy a monitoring service or score subscription to obtain these reports. Enter identifying information only through the official report-request process. Read the FTC’s free-report guidance.
A credit report is different from a credit score
Your report lists account and payment information. A score uses report data to estimate credit risk. A free report does not necessarily include a free score. A consumer-app score may differ from the score used for a mortgage.
Checking your own report does not hurt your credit scores.
Review five things
- Names, addresses and accounts: are they yours?
- Late payments: do they agree with your records?
- Balances, limits and last update dates.
- Open, closed, paid and past-due account status.
- Differences between the three bureaus.
A payment made yesterday may not appear yet. Compare statement and reporting dates before assuming an error.
Correct specific mistakes
Follow the CFPB’s dispute instructions: tell both the credit reporting company and the company that supplied the information what is inaccurate, and provide copies of supporting records. Keep copies and submission records. Do not invent facts or dispute accurate information just to try to remove it.
If an unfamiliar account may involve identity theft, use IdentityTheft.gov. Our ChatGPT credit guide can help organize a factual letter.
Turn the reports into a planning list
List each balance, credit limit, minimum payment, interest rate, due date and reporting date. Use anonymous labels such as Card A when working with AI. Leave out Social Security numbers, full account numbers, birth dates, addresses, report identifiers and passwords.
You do not need to have it all figured out.
Tell Mike what you want to accomplish and when you hope to buy.
Ask Mike about my credit and mortgage plan → · Call 616-319-1640
Credit Improvement Center · All mortgage resources
Educational information, not individualized legal advice, a score guarantee or a commitment to lend. Loan approval depends on the complete borrower and property file. Mike Alkema, NMLS #642953 · Leeward Point Mortgage LLC, NMLS #1823590 · Equal Housing Opportunity. Verify AI output independently.