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SubscriptionsSites I Read
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| 1. Where can I get a free credit report?
The short answer:
You can actually get three credit reports for free, one from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus at https://www.annualcreditreport.com. DO NOT confuse this with freecreditreport.com, which is a commercial website out to make money (I have intentionally left out the hyperlink so you don't feel tempted to click on it).
The long answer:
In an effort to to reduce identify theft and help victims recover, the Federal Trade Commission enacted the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act on June 15, 2004. The Act became effective December 1, 2004 and required the three major credit reporting bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax) to provide consumers with a FREE copy of their credit report every twelve months. However, those credit reporting bureaus are not required to give you your credit score, which can typically be purchased between $5 and $15.
2. I got my free credit score on ________ (fill-in random website here). It must mean I have good (or bad) credit, right?
The short answer:
No.
The long answer:
Those websites may give you an estimate or partial scores using whatever history they can pull. Banks will typically use a combination of your scores from the credit reporting bureaus. For example, I recently had my credit score pulled by Bank of America and they used the median score (yes, math really is fun). The bottom line is, if you want to know what your credit score is, go to a bank and open an account (loan, credit, etc), get a pre-approval, or pay for it from the three major credit reporting bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian). Stop relying on those free websites for your credit score because they are either 1) not accurate or 2) don't give you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (so help me God!). See WSJ article here.
3. If I view my credit report, will it lower my credit score?
The short answer:
It depends.
The long answer:
There are two types of credit pull, a "soft pull" (or "soft credit check"), which does NOT affect your credit score, and a "hard pull" (or "hard credit check"), which DOES lower your credit score. A hard pull is typically used for loan/credit qualification and determination purposes. A soft pull is typically used for general information purposes. For example, if you pulled your own credit report from https://www.annualcreditreport.com, it would be a soft pull, as you are NOT trying to determine whether or not to give yourself a loan (at least, I hope not). Examples of hard pulls include your loan officer pulling your score for loan pre-approval, your wireless phone company trying to make a determination as to whether or not they want to give you a contract, the property management company determining if you are creditworthy to rent out that home by your college, etc. (see this fatwallet.com forum for a comprehensive list of companies that do a hard pull when you submit an application). These pulls are called "credit inquiries" and are typically listed at the bottom of your credit report.
Note: When companies sell your information to other companies for marketing and promotional purposes, the marketer will typically review your credit report before deciding whether or not you fit in their target market to receive their mailers. These reviews are considered soft pulls, but they will also show up in the credit inquiry section of your credit report.
Other questions that I will have to get to another night (or maybe never depending on my schedule):
What's considered a good credit score? ... a bad credit score?
How can I improve my credit score? Should I cancel my credit cards?
How does a bad credit score affect me?
Who do I contact to make a dispute about a reporting on my credit report?
How does my spouse's credit affect me?
What is the difference between a short sale and a foreclosure?
What is the difference between a pre-qualification and a pre-approval?
What's considered a reasonable offer in this real estate market? How do I determine what to offer?
What are the steps to purchasing a home?
How do I calculate whether or not an investment property will have positive cash flow?
Are real estate commission rebates taxable?
How long does it typically take to close a real estate transaction in this market?
What is the $8,000 first-time homebuyer credit? Do I qualify? When does it end?
What is the role of my real estate agent? Do I need to pay my real estate agent?
What is the typical amount for earnest money? Under what conditions will I lose it?
What is a 1040 exchange?
What is Mello-Roos?
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| Click on the picture below to view the entire gallery. For this set, I am playing with shadow and lighting. Flash was not used in any of these pictures (although at times, I really, really wanted to fire the flash). 
I especially love the shadows in this picture:  | | |
| Pudgey is Paul's pug. The only way I was able to get this shot of her was because she was drugged up on Benedryl (she has a lot of allergies). 
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| My personal preference is to spend more time behind the camera than editing pictures in Photoshop, but I just picked up this new trick in Photoshop and just had to try it out (it took me over an hour!). Here, we have the lovely Quyen, showing off pineapple and strawberries on a stick in Boston, Massachusetts (this is from the chocolate buffet at a hotel whose name currently escapes me). Flash was not fired on this picture. The overall tone was more yellow than I wanted, so I went into Photoshop, lightened the picture, and airbrushed Quyen's skin. I present to you, the before and after.   | | |
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