Nothing is worse for your credit score than a foreclosure or a bankruptcy credit report. Not only will these red flags remain on your credit record for seven years, but your score could drop as much as 300 points overnight, impacting your ability to borrow money for years. Your credit report will show every time you’re 30 days late on a mortgage payment and then the “Notice of Default” will show up. If you are able to stop the house from foreclosing, then you’ll have a good chance at repairing your credit over the next few years. Otherwise, the “Notice of Trust Sale” and the “Trust Deed Sale” will hit your report, scarring your financial freedom for the next seven years or more.
Once you’ve looked at your credit report, you’ll need to focus on improving your credit score. Pay all your outstanding bills on time, first and foremost. On-time bill payments account for roughly 35% of your credit score. Start with the highest interest rate cards and reduce your credit usage to 30% of what’s been extended to you. Replenish your savings, your 401k and other retirement accounts. You may want to contact CCSInc.org to obtain credit counseling and take free financial classes to re-educate yourself on how to save and spend wisely. A foreclosure can really shatter your confidence, as well as your purchasing power, so it’s important that you take this opportunity to reassess how you approach financial decision making as a whole.
So which is worse for your credit score, a foreclosure or a bankruptcy? Even though bankruptcy stays on your credit for 10 years and a foreclosure for 7, “a foreclosure is very serious to mortgage lenders,” said Ray Hooper, Education and Housing Director for the Consumer Credit Counseling Service. “They’re going look at a foreclosure more seriously than they will a bankruptcy that doesn’t include the house.” Hooper says if you’re receiving default notices but still want to keep your house, then you’ll need to catch up on those missed payments.
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