What Is a Good Credit Score? The Number You Need to Buy a Home

We received a late fee balance on a card we NEVER used. They charged us a fee, then charged us a late fee then sent us notice. THAT was when we found out about the card fee in the first place.

I called them, got NASTY people telling me how evil we were. Had them put the manager on and He ALSO was nasty until I informed him the card had never been used! He changed his tune cleared all the fees and late charges then proceeded to try to sell me on how good the credit card company was and would I like to have one. I asked if he was kidding me!

Avoid properties listed with a realtor.

Yeah, can't steal anything from THEM, right?

I don't steal from anyone.

I try to pay as little as possible, and the seller factors in the realtor's commission. If the seller doesn't have to pay that, I don't have to pay as much. Also, I have found that many real estate agents are somewhat ignorant about negotiations and can hinder rather than facilitate a deal. And occasionally a realtor refuses to wait for the commission and wants it up front, and that's much less deposit for the seller who is willing to finance, and several thousand dollars extra that I must pay up front.

Cash is to be used as leverage and incentive, so I try to avoid situations where it gets vacked up by third parties.

Lots of ways to play this game. One spouse goes on disability, the other spouse divorces but gets just enough of a paying job to also qualify for public assistance. They continue to live together and even though they are legally divorced, they can pool sufficient resources to qualify for a mortgage.

That's just one angle. There are many more. I've heard that your typical family (whatever the h3ll that means these days) can qualify for public assistance producing cash and non-cash benefits equivalent to a household earning about $60K annually, which is where I happen to be with full-time work.

If you look at what gets purchased with EBT cards in the supermarket line, I'd estimate close to two-thirds are buying stuff we can't afford and, as often as not, driving off in vehicles we can't afford either.

Even the blue collar production guys at the plant where I work notice this and wonder why they haul their bones out of bed every morning to work our 12 hour shifts when they see neighbors with fake disabilities and the like working the system for more.

I see so many say they cut up their credit card. That does not close the account. I know that was not your situation-just sayin'

To actually close one you must write to the company and request that it be closed and let them know that by law,. they must send you back an acknowledgement by U.S. mail.

Otherwise your account will remain open indefinitely and if later they decide to charge a fee, you will be billed for it.

I had a personal experience once trying to close an account by phone, the guy tried and tried to talk me out of it but I wouldn't budge. He finally gave up and said, "OK, I'll close the account"-- He lied. I wound up closing it the way I described above.

That’s where my wife and I are but last year, in November, we cashed a check from Capital One for $905.00, for cash back points. 01.5% for purchases. Our new balance on points is up to $285.00 now. Around Christmas time in 2017 we’ll cash in again, should be over $1,000 by then. We never have paid a cent in interest.
The banks charge merchants a minimum of 03%, so we both are making money.

I tried to buy a new car on the credit card and pay it off at the end of the month but the dealer wouldn’t go for it.

Our Chase Visa does similar. They urge you to cash in for gift cards but we periodically have them put it against our account. Since we use it for everything, it builds points pretty quick, but you already know that.

Car dealers won't take the automatic loss for what the credit companies charge - at least they haven't built in even more margin like all the other retailers....I did get one to accept a earnest money credit card payment to hold a car once, but it was only $100.

When I bought my last car, I drove to the bank and got a cashier's check to take back to the dealer. I actually had my credit company limit my normally available credit for security - If I need more, I can call them and have it bumped for the purpose. The last time I paid interest, I had actually got my payment to them a few days before the cutoff on the bill - I sent a note that if I ever got charged interest again like that, I would take my business elsewhere and they'd lose out on a sure take on x-thousands of dollars charges per year. Been over 10 years....

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