Having a good credit score can improve your life in a variety of ways. In addition to helping you get approved for low-interest loans, it can also help you land gainful employment, buy a car, and find suitable housing. Many factors can impact your credit score, so consider making some simple life changes in the following areas.

What Factors Will Change My Credit Score?

1. Timely Payments

Late payments not only trigger fees and penalties, but they also lower your credit score. This is especially true when you have late payments across multiple accounts. Automating payments is the best way to ensure all bills are paid on time each month. 

2. Credit Utilization Rate

Your credit utilization rate indicates if you're maxing out your credit cards frequently. To determine your rate, take the balances you have for all the credit cards in your name, and divide them by the credit limits. The resulting total should be under 30% if you're trying to improve your credit score. 

3. Hard Inquiries

A soft inquiry, such as one performed by a landlord when filling out a rental application, typically doesn't impact your score. However, hard inquiries, which are performed when you apply for a loan or a new line of credit, do affect your score. Be careful about opening up new lines of credit, as opening too many can harm your credit rating. 

4. Duration of Credit History

The older your accounts are, the better your credit score will be. This means new accounts can drag down your score by decreasing the average age of your accounts. Even if you pay off an older account, don't close it unless you have to. 

If you need help improving your credit score, contact Top Credit Sweep in Jacksonville, FL. This credit service will identify problematic areas of your report and recommend possible solutions to clean up your score. They also offer express solutions if you’re in need of expedited help for bad credit. Learn more about how credit repair works by visiting them online, or call (888) 485-6316 for more information.