The first phase of a credit cleanup is a thorough audit of your credit reports. Under federal law, you are entitled to free annual reports from the three major bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You must examine these documents for inaccuracies, such as accounts that do not belong to you, incorrect payment statuses, or outdated negative information. If you find errors, filing formal disputes with the credit bureaus is essential. Removing even a single piece of incorrect negative data can result in an immediate and substantial boost to your score.
If you'd like to refine this further for a specific lender or loan type: Your (e.g., 580 vs. 660) how to clean up credit to buy a house
Your for buying (e.g., 6 months vs. 2 years) The first phase of a credit cleanup is