Cape Coral woman improves credit score and buys dream home

Many Americans know a good credit score is crucial for reaching financial goals. For some, boosting their score is a tough challenge.

WINK News reporter Esly Davis talked to a local woman who made it happen.

For Ciera Burkes, the journey to accomplishing her financial goals began a year ago with simple motivation.

“My number one motivation was to buy a home,” said Burkes.

But there was one hurdle standing between her and that dream house: her credit score.

“I didn’t have any loans under my name, I didn’t have a lot of revolving credit,” said Burkes.

Ashley Deal is the owner of Cape Credit Repair, and she thinks people can improve their credit score.

“It’s not taught in schools, it’s not basic knowledge to everybody,” said Deal, “most people think they have a bad credit score and have to live like that forever, but it’s not the case.”

For Burkes, the fix was utilizing her credit instead of paying for everything cash. She applied for two new credit cards to establish a good credit history that would show lenders that she was capable of paying back on time.

“Was at a 600, maybe a 605, and by the winter time I jumped to a 725-730,” said Burkes.

Just a year later her dream home is becoming a reality, and for Ciera, closing day is just around the corner.

To boost your credit score experts recommend:

• Setting up automatic payments since one late payment will drop your score by about 100 points
• Not maxing out your credit cards, keep your balances under 30%
• Monitoring your credit report for any errors, like a loan you don’t remember taking out, which could be lowering your score.

It’s also a good idea to monitor your credit report for any errors, like a loan you don’t remember taking out, which could be lowering your score.

You can get free reports at the Annual Credit Report Website, and if you spot any issues, reach out to the credit bureaus to have them corrected