Once again
Mr. NoSoup unleashes his bank of knowledge. You really should put a book out.
I would like to add, if I may, one more thing.
Starting in December, Federal law requires the top three-credit reporting agencies
www.transunion.com
www.equifax.com
www.experian.com
to provide free credit reports once a year.
https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
They will be available on a rolling basis starting with the West coast in December. Check it out. The report is a good start in understanding and improving your credit especially when taken with the info outline above by
NoSoup.
And it's free. do not confuse it with the other Free Credit Reports: those want you to buy a service etc. This one is free to us by law.