tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69573748097700786662023-11-16T14:18:00.284-08:00Legacy Partners RentalsResidential RentalsDeleted Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10896082680543548638noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957374809770078666.post-83789988119987173862012-03-14T19:35:00.000-07:002012-03-14T19:35:03.001-07:00Tips for Raising Credit Scores<span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em>Payment History
Tips<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span><br /><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-9016482579136048567">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span>Pay your bills on time.
</span></b><span>Delinquent payments and collections can have a major negative
impact on your score.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span>If you have missed payments, get
current and stay current. </span></b><span>The longer you pay your bills on
time, the better your score.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span>Be aware that paying off a collection
account will not remove it from your credit report. </span></b><span>It will
stay on your report for seven years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span></span></b></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span>If you are having trouble making ends
meet, contact your creditors or see a legitimate credit consultant.
</span></b><span>This won’t improve your score immediately, but if you can begin
to manage your credit and pay on time, your score will get better over
time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><span style="color: maroon;"><strong>Amounts Owed
Tips<o:p></o:p></strong></span></em></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span>Keep balances low on credit cards and
other “revolving credit." </span></b><span>High outstanding debt can affect a
score.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span>P<strong>ay off debt
rather than moving it around. </strong></span><span>The most effective way to
improve your score in this area is by paying down your revolving credit. In
fact, owing the same amount but having fewer open accounts may lower your
score.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><strong>Don’t close
unused credit cards as a short-term strategy to raise your score. Don’t open a
number of new credit cards that you don’t need, just to increase your available
credit.</strong> These approaches </span><span>approach could backfire and
actually lower your score.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em><span style="color: maroon;">Length of Credit History
Tips<o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span>If you have been managing credit for
a short time, don’t open a lot of new accounts too rapidly.
</span></b><span>New accounts will lower your average account age, which will
have a larger effect on your score if you don’t have a lot of other credit
information. Also, rapid account buildup can look risky if you are a new credit
user.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em></em></strong></span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em>New Credit
Tips<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Do your rate shopping for a given loan
within a focused period of time.
</b></span><span>FICO</span><span>®</span><span> scores distinguish between a
search for a single loan and a search for many new credit lines, in part by the
length of time over which inquiries occur.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Re-establish your credit history if you
have had problems. </b></span><span>Opening new accounts responsibly and paying
them off on time will raise your score in the long
term.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Note that it is OK to request and check
your own credit report. </b></span><span>This won’t affect your score, as long
as you order your credit report directly from the credit reporting agency or
through an organization authorized to provide credit reports to consumers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try <a href="http://www.annualcreditreport.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.annualcreditreport.com</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em>Types of Credit
Use Tips<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span>Apply for and open new credit
accounts only as needed. </span></b><span>Don’t open accounts just to have a
better credit mix – it probably won’t raise your
score.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Have credit cards – but manage them
responsibly. </b></span><span>In general, having credit cards and installment
loans (and paying timely payments) will raise your score. Someone with no credit
cards, for example, tends to be higher risk than someone who has managed credit
cards responsibly.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Note that closing an account doesn’t make
it go away. </b></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A closed account will still show up on your credit
report, and may be considered by the score.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</div>Deleted Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10896082680543548638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6957374809770078666.post-8152009804818193502012-01-13T19:09:00.000-08:002012-01-13T19:15:04.117-08:00Nine Ways to Keep a Lid on Your Energy BillAir leaks can infiltrate surprising places <br />
By Paul Bianchina<br />
<a href="http://www.inman.com/" target="_blank">Inman News®</a><br />
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No one likes wasting money, especially in these tough economic times. So it certainly makes sense -- <i>dollars and cents</i> -- to make a small investment of time and supplies to close up those heat-wasting air leaks around your home. It'll pay back big dividends in reduced energy bills and a warmer, more comfortable house this winter. So let's look at some of the areas where those drafts may be lurking, and see how to take care of them.<br />
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1. <b>Doors and windows</b>: This should be an obvious one. If you can see gaps between your siding and your windows or exterior doors, close them up with a bead of clear or paintable acrylic latex caulk. Larger gaps can be filled with foam backer rod before applying the caulking.<br />
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2. <b>Exterior penetrations</b>: Some of these areas are going to be obvious, while some may take a little bit of searching. Some examples of exterior penetrations where air can leak into the house include exterior faucets, dryer vents, exterior electrical outlets, exterior light fixtures, holes that have been drilled for phone and TV cables, conduit penetrations, exit points for plumbing drains, and penetrations for air conditioning lines. Closing these penetrations may require a variety of different techniques, including caulk, expanding spray foam, or, in the case of electrical boxes and fixtures, specific gaskets that are designed to fit the boxes.<br />
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3. <b>Exhaust-vent covers</b>: Dryer vents, range hood vents, bath fan vents, and other interior ventilation equipment typically terminate outside the house in a plastic or metal cover that has one or more louvers on it. The louvers are designed to be in the closed position whenever the fan is not in use, so that outside air doesn't leak in. Check all of these louvers to be sure they're closing completely, with no air leaks. If they aren't, you can adjust the spring tension to hold them closed more tightly; add foam weatherstripping tape for a more air-tight seal; or replace the entire vent cap with a new one.<br />
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4. <b>Gaps around interior vents and recessed lights</b>: Inside your home, heated air can be leaking out around that same ventilation equipment, where vent pipes pass through the walls or ceiling, or where vent covers meet wall and ceiling surfaces. Recessed light fixtures can also be real air-leakers. Around the vent pipes and recessed light cans, seal any gaps with caulking. For the vent covers and recessed light covers, remove the covers, then adjust the springs and/or add foam weatherstripping tape to create a tight seal between the cover and the ceiling.<br />
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5. <b>Heat-duct penetrations</b>: Gaps around heating-duct cans where they pass through the floor or wall allow cold air to enter from the crawl space, while gaps around ceiling-duct cans allow heated air to escape into the attic. To close those drafts, first remove the register, then use a combination of caulking and/or metallic duct sealant tape to close any gaps between the sheet metal cans and the floor, wall or ceiling surface.<br />
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6. <b>Fireplaces and woodstoves</b>: Lots of gaps can occur around these appliances. With a conventional fireplace, keep the damper closed except when burning a fire to prevent heated air from escaping up the chimney. Consider investing in a set of air-tight doors, which close off the air leaks and also make your fires more efficient. Look for gaps around woodstove and gas fireplace flue pipes, and air leaks around masonry chimneys. Use a metal collar if necessary around flue pipe penetrations, and seal gaps with heat-resistant sealant specially formulated for this application.<br />
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7. <b>Attic and crawl space hatches</b>: These can be real air losers if they're not weatherstripped, so take care of that with some foam tape. Make sure the hatches are insulated as well. <br />
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8. <b>Interior doors to unheated spaces</b>: If you have any interior doors that lead to unheated spaces, including basements, garages or attics, be sure the doors are weatherstripped to prevent air leakage. If possible, replace older, hollow-core doors with solid-core or, better yet, insulated metal doors.<br />
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9. <b>Sill plates and penetrations</b>: This one's not as easy to deal with, but it's well worth the effort to try to do whatever you can with it. Air can leak both into and out of the house through gaps where the sill plate meets the foundation or the siding, and around plumbing and wiring penetrations drilled through wall plates in various areas. If you have a gap between your siding and the bottom of your exterior wall, especially in older homes where the use of sill sealers was not a common practice, consider closing up this big air gap with a bead of caulking or expanding foam. In the basement, crawl space and attic, if you can access any of the pipes and wires that pass through the wall plates, seal the penetrations with expanding foam.Deleted Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10896082680543548638noreply@blogger.com