1.   Pay off all credit cards as close to zero as possible, but do not close them. Closing a credit card is one of the worst things you can do to harm your score.

2.   If you can't pay them off then spread the balances you carry evenly over all of your credit cards. It is better to have four credit cards at 50% of their limit than two credit cards maxed out.

3.   Call all of your credit card companies and ask them if you qualify for a credit line increase WITHOUT them having to pull a copy of your credit report. If they pull your report it will hurt you as an inquiry. Most companies will increase your limit based solely on your good payment history with them. Make sure to stress to the credit card company that you do not want them to pull your credit. Sometimes they will say yes, sometimes they will say no. Increasing your available credit reduces your debt ratio and increases your score.

4.   If you are in the process of getting a mortgage and you can't payoff your credit cards, then I suggest borrowing money from a relative to payoff your credit cards until the loan funds. After the loan goes through you can repay the family member by taking a cash advance on your credit card. This alone can sometimes increase the credit score up to 100 points or more and save you thousands in interest over the life of your loan.

5.   If you are married and buying the house together, and if you have separate credit from your spouse; you can always transfer your debt to his or her credit cards and get the loan solely in your name. Whoever has the higher credit score should unload their debt onto the other spouse to increase their score even more. After the loan funds you can quit claim deed the other spouse onto the property and balance transfer to his/her credit card to pay back the short-term loan.

6.   Do not apply for credit unless you really have too when in the process of buying a home because each time you do, your credit score will drop.

7.   Bring all of the accounts on your credit report that show an amount in the "past due" column current immediately. Past dues kill a credit score. Call that creditor and ask them what amount you would have to pay to bring the account current. This tip does not apply to collection accounts.

8.   Do not pay collections or charge offs that are three years or older while going through the mortgage process because they will update your credit report as being paid which will actually decrease your score because a three year old collection all of a sudden has recent activity, even though you did something positive there is a defect in the credit scoring software that doesn't distinguish this fact. Pay them through escrow (at the closing) so that you will already have your house before the negative effect from paying them takes place a month after they are paid. If you have credit card debt, unpaid judgments, collections or charge offs that have a balance of $500 or more and have the money to settle them, call your rep at our company and discuss how we can save you thousands by negotiating the debt for pennies on the dollar. A settled collection/charge-off on your credit report is no worse than one that gets paid in full as far as the credit scoring software is concerned.

9.   Collections or charge-offs that are less than three years old should be paid when possible; but remember! You should not pay the full balance unless you have to. Most debts can be settled for an average of 55 cents on the dollar with a few exceptions (Utility collections, Student Loans and Tax liens usually need to be paid in full).