How To Check Your Credit Score?
In 2020, our financial lives revolve around our credit scores. Want to buy a car? Better have good credit! Want to lease a house? Good credit is a must. Applying for a new credit card? You’d best hope your credit score is high enough.
Every major financial decision, every major monetary transaction, every purchase is influenced by this fickle, mysterious number. But what exactly is a credit score? And how can you find out what your credit score is? Let’s look at what a credit score is, and how you can check yours!
What exactly is a credit score?
In short, a credit score is a complete history of a person’s financial history. If a person has ever been late on a car payment, it will show up on their credit score. If they’ve ever defaulted on a loan, their credit score will show it. If they have credit card debt, it will affect the magic number. Essentially every time you’ve ever borrowed money in any way, shape or form, how you handle that responsibility will affect your credit score.
How can you check your credit score?
There are a variety of available options when it comes to checking your credit score. There are three credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can get one free report from each of these bureaus per year, and additional reports if you believe you may have been a victim of credit fraud or have been rejected on the basis of poor credit.
The most important caveat with this method of checking your credit score is that it does not actually provide you with a credit score. There a variety of methods to check this, such as using a proprietary tool provided by your credit card company, but the easiest and most reliable method is to use a service like Credit Karma or Credit Sesame. These services utilize the newer VantageScore 3.0 scoring model, which provides heightened accuracy and precision. Best of all, these services are free!
If you want to learn more about how credit scoring works, and how you can improve your credit score, you can find helpful information on The Official Real Estate Agent Directory®.
Popular Real Estate Glossary Terms
A line on a map or drawing showing equal ground elevation points. See also contour map. ...
When we think of rural property or rural real estate, most of us think of farms, properties with large areas designated to agricultural land. That’s how rural communities generally ...
A deed in which two or more people in an indenture agreement have reciprocity and obligations toward each other. ...
Recording an expenditure having a benefit of more than one year to the cost of the property. ...
Gradual deterioration of land due to nature such as because of floods, hurricanes and storms. Gradual decline in the value of real estate because of poor market and economic conditions. ...
A court order issued to a defendant in an action either prohibiting or commanding the performance of a defined act. A violation of an injunction could lead to a contempt of court citation. ...
An insurer who researches the title to real estate for the purpose of discovering any unknown liens or encumbrances on the property that may have come into effect before the current ...
Fan with an opening to the outside air that lets stale or hot air exit the structure; usually used in a kitchen when cooking or in a bathroom that does not have a window. It is used for ...
An opening with a hinged cover allowing access from one level to another in a structure. Often installed in a roof or the floor of a building to allow the entrance of people and materials ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.