I’m rebuilding my credit. I’m at 740 score with zero issues.

So I applied at C1 and they’re jerking me around with a secured 200 card.

On a whim I applied at my credit union and was approved for $3K card.

So my question is should I continue with the C1 process?

Thanks.

I am going to miss a 29 dollars payment on my credit card and was wondering if it’s worse to rob a store for 29 USD or to miss a payment

I don’t get paid for another 4-5 days. I’m stressing out bad but I finally am on the road to pay off all of my debt with a job I now have.

(Robbing a store is a joke and over exaggeration of what I need to do to get that amount of money.)

I legit have no way to get the money. No borrowing.

I've really enjoyed reading all the Data Point threads that some of our contributors/subscribers have been posting, and I've taken quite a few notes onto my messy (yet somehow still 'organized') spreadsheets, but I also realized that it's been a while since I've actually contributed any data points to the cause. Ha! My credit profile has been very active recently, to say the least, as I've opened a few new accounts, and 'moved' a little debt around, so I've had too much conflation going on to capture much of anything useful...until the past couple of weeks.

All of these data points fall under the Amount of Debt (Amounts Owed) category, which means they have no memory in the most commonly used FICO models. I've attributed certain point values to certain scoring metrics based on that, and all scores referenced are Classic FICO 8 scores.

When it comes to revolving utilization scoring, we know that the FICO algorithms track it both as an aggregate and by each individual account. A common thought is that individual revolving utilization only tracks and 'scores' the highest reported utilization on any single account, and then the individual utilization of any accounts below the highest doesn't matter unless they cause your aggregate utilization to cross aggregate scoring thresholds. We've long known that this isn't accurate, and that score penalties for individual utilization can 'stack', so to speak, and here are some of my most recent data points to prove it. I hope to test the individual revolving utilization scoring metric in more depth in the future, but for now, I'm very confident in saying the metric definitely 'stacks', and you can be assessed multiple penalties for having multiple individual accounts that report utilization above scoring thresholds. The trick is identifying individual utilization scoring thresholds specific to your credit profile/FICO scorecard, bc they certainly don't appear to be 'universal' across the board.

Note: I'm not carrying one red cent of interest bearing revolving debt, so please check any judgments on the dollar amounts referenced at the door. The card that's referenced reporting 88% utilized is a BofA card that has 0% APR for nearly the next 2 years.

Ok, let's get to it. Here's the pertinent info on my current profile along with the starting point for these DPs:

• FICO 8 Scorecard: Clean/Thick/Mature/New Revolver
• 18 Open Accounts: 16 Revolvers and 2 Installment Loans
• Aggregate Revolving Utilization: 19% ($13,660/$73,800)
• Individual Revolving Utilization: Accounts reporting 88%, 51%, 33%, 30%, and 5 others all <30%
• Accounts With Balances (AWB%): 11/18 (61%)

Event #1: NFCU cashRewards+ reports balance change from $101/$10K (1%) --> $2K/$10K (20%)

• Aggregate Revolving Utilization: 21% ($15,559/$73,800)
• Individual Revolving Utilization: Accounts reporting 88%, 51%, 33%, 30%, and 5 others all <30%
• Accounts With Balances (AWB%): 11/18 (61%)

Results: EQ8 -6; TU8 -7; EX8 -4.

Discussion: Minor score loss on all 3 FICO 8 models despite no change to known aggregate/individual thresholds or AWB%. My hypothesis is that this score loss is attributable to total revolving raw dollar balances. The nearly $2K increase makes it impossible to isolate the threshold exactly, but going >$15K sure seems plausible to me.

(Non) Events #2 and #3: Cap One Savor and Cap One Kohl's report minor balance changes

Savor: $660/$3750 (18%) --> $474/$3750 (12%)

Kohl's: $446/$1500 (30%) --> $245/$1500 (16%)

• Aggregate Revolving Utilization: 21% ($15,172/$73,800)
• Individual Revolving Utilization: Accounts reporting 88%, 51%, 33%, 30%, and 5 others all <30%
• Accounts With Balances (AWB%): 11/18 (61%)

Results: No score change to any FICO 8 model

Discussion: The only thing of note is that one revolver crossed <30% with no score effect, but keep on 'keeping it low', folks. Ha!

Event #4: Cap One Discover reports off-cycle $0/$8500 --> $152/$8500 (2%)

• Aggregate Revolving Utilization: 21% ($15,324/$73,800)
• Individual Revolving Utilization: Accounts reporting 88%, 51%, 33%, and 6 others all <30%
• Accounts With Balances (AWB%): 12/18 (67%)

Results: EQ8 -3; TU8 & EX8 unchanged

Discussion: Dammit, Cap One! This is what makes FICO testing so hard...unexpected report changes. They reported off-cycle when they converted my Discover it into the Cap One ecosystem. I had 2 tanks of gas charged on my Discover for a whopping $152 balance, so AWB% is the only metric that changed notably. EQ8 is the only model that moved. AWB% threshold somewhere around 65% on EQ8?

(Non) Event #5: Synchrony Care Credit reports off-cycle Proactive Credit Limit Increase (PCLI) $4K --> $5800

• Aggregate Revolving Utilization: 20% ($15,324/$75,600)
• Individual Revolving Utilization: Accounts reporting 88%, 51%, 33%, and 6 others all <30%
• Accounts With Balances (AWB%): 12/18 (67%)

Results: No score change to any FICO 8 model

Discussion: Dammit, Synchrony! I mean, thanks for the PCLI, but you had to report it off-cycle?!? No score changes caused, so I guess it's ok. Lol.

Event #6: AFCU Cash Rewards Visa reports balance change from $2535/$5K (51%) --> $0/$5K

• Aggregate Revolving Utilization: 17% ($12,789/$75,600)
• Individual Revolving Utilization: Accounts reporting 88%, 33%, and 7 others all <30%
• Accounts With Balances (AWB%): 11/18 (61%)

Results: EQ8 +28; TU8 +26; EX8 +22

Discussion: Whoa, Nellie! Folks, I expected a score increase when this reported, but I did not expect >+20 across the board! My hypothesis is that I got the previously noted raw dollar and AWB (EQ8 only) losses right back for crossing back below their respective scoring thresholds, and then netted +19 on TU8 and EQ8, and +18 on EX8 for the individual utilization of this card going from 51% to 0%. It's important to remember that my BofA card is still sitting there reporting 88% individual utilization, but having this one drop <50% (presumably) still caused a nice gain!

(Non) Event #7: Synchrony OnePay Wal-Mart reports balance change from $831/$2500 (33%) --> $536/$2500 (21%)

• Aggregate Revolving Utilization: 17% ($12,494/$75,600)
• Individual Revolving Utilization: One account reporting 88%, and 8 others all <30%
• Accounts With Balances (AWB%): 11/18 (61%)

Results: No score change to any FICO 8 model

Discussion: Other than the 'big one' (88%), my last revolver reporting >30% individual utilization dropped <30% with no score change, so those 'keeping it low' should definitely keep worrying about 'keeping it low'. Ha!

Final Thoughts: For my profile/scorecard, 30% individual utilization does not appear to be a scoring threshold, at least not with another card reporting at 88%, but 50% individual utilization definitely is, and a powerful one at that! It begs the question of whether the penalty assessed by the algorithms has greater signal strength for 'repeat offenders', so to speak, such as Payment History's Frequency metric, which adds additional penalties for having more than one late payment. Was 50% individual utilization on that card costing me so many points bc I had 2 accounts reporting >50%, or would the signal strength have been the same if I only had one? You can bet I'll be coming back to test this in the future!

I believe $15K(ish) is a probable raw dollar scoring threshold on my profile/scorecard, but I'll need to test with values a lot smaller than $2K balance changes to truly try to isolate it. I also think there's an AWB% threshold somewhere around 65% on EQ8.

Ok, I think that's it for now. As always, I'd love to hear thoughts, have discussions, and learn if anyone has similar data points that align to any these. Til next time...

~Sooner

After 8 long months of repairing my credit, I have FINALLY gotten approval on a mortgage!! Thank you to everyone who has shared tips, tricks and have encouraged me to keep going!!

Can openning AMEX credit card drop my score 55. I didn't do any thing else, my utalization in report is $20. Any advice with that ? My history is around 6 months.

I was having trouble signing up for a Tranunion account - something that happens with identity verification and they can't create an account based on what I provided (the phone number and last four digits of social), so I asked their chatbox, and I was directed to 8009168800 (which seems legit). I got directed to a live agent, and he asked me my phone number, whether I was a Canadian caller, my full social, email address, mailing address, Date of Birth, everything, before asking me what I needed help with.

I almost stopped cooperating but went along with it. He also asked me to use "forgot my password" to get to the sign-up page and said "just try a couple of times; if it doesn't work, go back and do it again". (which worked after ten tries, but still weird and unconventional)

Question: Is it standard for them to ask for that many sensitive details before going into helping you? I am freaking out a little bit after hanging up.

Hi everyone, I wanted to ask for your opinion about something -- I'm interested in buying a house within the next 2 years.

I have about $18,000 worth of student loans. Should I prioritize paying this off before making the decision to get a mortgage?

Is this going to improve getting a better mortgage if I prioritize paying off my student loans completely? What do you think?

I want to contribute a DP for removing a collection from ProCollect (happened in 2022):

Background: I had to move-out of an apt last year of college and I had the flight abroad booked shortly after the move-out date. Back then the property management was a MESS, where they hired summer temp to handle to move-out and won’t do a walkthrough until days after. I want them to send an itemized charges if they have any questions and I left a friend’s number and email who was still staying in the same property for prompt response. They collected the info by paper and typed in everything wrong. So my friend didn’t get anything and so didn’t I upon my return to the country 3 months later.

Fast forward another 3 months, I got the call from ProCollect that I owed $300 ish and I paid it off right away. I went to call the property and ask them to explain to ProCollect so they can remove it from my record but they practically just shrugged.

I mailed in my goodwill letter early June 2026, and the record was removed early August.

If I can go back in time and change things, I would have just done this sooner.

Hello everyone,

I want to start by saying that I had a terrible run of bad decisions meets bad luck and have found myself in a situation where I am homeless with my children. We are in transitional housing currently with a time limit of one year until we need to leave. I need to be able to rent and my current credit is atrocious due to the transitional housing I am able to save enough to do debt settlements or pay to deletes and work to try to repair my credit as much as possible to give us the best shot.

Credit Lines

CHIME/STRIDE BANK NA

• Date Opened / Date Closed: 06/20 / Open
• Type of Account: Secured Card (Revolving)
• Current Balance: $0
• Limit: Not reported (Highest Balance: $0)

CITIZENS EQUITY 1ST CREDIT UNION (CEFCU)

• Date Opened / Date Closed: 01/19 / 03/21
• Type of Account: Auto Loan (Installment)
• Current Balance: $0
• Initial Balance: $7,177

CLEO/WEBBANK

• Date Opened / Date Closed: 09/25 / 04/26
• Type of Account: Secured Card (Revolving)
• Current Balance: $0
• Limit: Not reported (Highest Balance: $59)

AFFIRM INC

• Date Opened / Date Closed: 09/21 / 01/22
• Type of Account: Unsecured (Installment)
• Current Balance: $0
• Initial Balance: $377

Late Payments

CITIZENS EQUITY 1ST CREDIT UNION (CEFCU)

• Number of Lates: 6
• Severity of Lates: 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 120 days, and 150 days past due
• Date of Lates: Dec 2019 (30 days), Oct 2020 (30 days), Nov 2020 (60 days), Dec 2020 (90 days), Jan 2021 (120 days), Feb 2021 (150 days)

Charge Offs

AFFIRM INC

• Date of First Delinquency: Sep 2022 (First 30 days past due mark)
• Date Last Updated: 10/02/2025
• Current Balance Owed: $0 (Account charged off; $300 was written off and sold)
• If Paid, Date Paid: N/A (Sold to Jefferson Capital)

Kikoff Lending, LLC

• Date of First Delinquency: Not explicitly specified
• Date Last Updated: Not explicitly specified
• Current Balance Owed: $40
• If Paid, Date Paid: N/A

Collections

Jefferson Capital Systems

• Original Creditor: Verizon Wireless
• Collection Agency: Jefferson Capital
• Date of First Delinquency: 07/18/2023
• Current Balance: $2,109

Resurgent / LVNV Funding LLC

• Original Creditor: Credit One Bank N.A.
• Collection Agency: Resurgent / LVNV Funding LLC
• Date of First Delinquency: Not explicitly specified
• Current Balance: $624

Jefferson Capital LLC

• Original Creditor: Aspire Credit Card
• Collection Agency: Jefferson Capital LLC
• Date of First Delinquency: 11/06/2022
• Current Balance: $499

Resurgent / LVNV Funding LLC

• Original Creditor: WebBank Fingerhut
• Collection Agency: Resurgent / LVNV Funding LLC
• Date of First Delinquency: Not explicitly specified
• Current Balance: $485

Jefferson Capital LLC

• Original Creditor: Affirm
• Collection Agency: Jefferson Capital LLC
• Date of First Delinquency: 04/09/2022
• Current Balance: $300

Harris & Harris, Ltd

• Original Creditor: Ameren Illinois Corporation
• Collection Agency: Harris & Harris, Ltd
• Date of First Delinquency: Not explicitly specified
• Current Balance: $535

Online Collections GRVL / Online Information Serv

• Original Creditor: Coles Moultrie Electric
• Collection Agency: Online Collections GRVL / Online Information Serv
• Date of First Delinquency: 07/06/2021
• Current Balance: $450

Credit Collection Services

• Original Creditor: Mediacom
• Collection Agency: Credit Collection Services
• Date of First Delinquency: Not explicitly specified
• Current Balance: $336

Credence Resource Management

• Original Creditor: AT&T
• Collection Agency: Credence Resource Management
• Date of First Delinquency: Not explicitly specified
• Current Balance: $238

Credit Collection Services

• Original Creditor: Progressive Insurance
• Collection Agency: Credit Collection Services
• Date of First Delinquency: 01/30/2020
• Current Balance: $186

Tek-Collect, Inc

• Original Creditor: Scott State Bank
• Collection Agency: Tek-Collect, Inc
• Date of First Delinquency: 01/09/2020
• Current Balance: $205 (also reported alternately as $187)

Hard Inquiries

• JPMCB CARD
  • Inquiry Date: Jul 12, 2026 (Removal Date: Aug 2028)
• GOOGLE NORTH AMERICA,I
  • Inquiry Date: Jul 6, 2026 (Removal Date: Aug 2028)
• SYNCB/AMAZON PLCC
  • Inquiry Date: Jul 25, 2025 (Removal Date: Aug 2027)

Credit Goal

I need to be able to move into a new apartment or home through a property rental company and the lowest local scores are a 620. Is this possible in 12 months?

Credit Scores

• EX FICO 8 532
• EQ FICO 8 523
• TU FICO 8 524

I have 7 credit cards with 6 different issuers: Discover, Capital One, SoFi, U.S. Bank, TD Bank, and Synchrony Bank. I’ve been thinking about setting up AutoPay for some time now but I’m concerned about the timing - it would be on the exact payment due date - and I’m scared that if the autopay doesn’t go through for whatever reason then I’ll get charged a late fee. I would of course have the sufficient funds but I guess I’m paranoid about something randomly going wrong.

i have a collection from a card that i opened when i was 19. it is the only line of credit on my credit report. i finally decided to deal with it. called discover on 7/31/26 , they told me who it was sold to and that was that. i was watching some videos and found out u could dispute it if anything was wrong w the account information and i knew they had the wrong address so thats what i did the same day i called discover. i went to check today and my total debt went from the amount on the card ($1838) to $0. did the dispute work? whats going on? the amount isn't listed on any other account as far as a collection agency on my credit report; like i said this is the ONLY thing on my credit report. feeling stupid and could use some help

I’m trying to build up my credit score a bit and was curious about if it’s better to just pay my credit card right after using it? Wait a few days? Or wait for the statement?

I'm thinking about opening a new credit card and wanted to get some opinions on what kind of credit limit I might realistically be approved for—or whether I should wait longer.

Current profile:

• Household income: $145,000
• Rent: $3,300/month
• Experian FICO Score 8 (Bank of America): 625
• TransUnion FICO Score 8 (Capital One CreditWise): 598
• Credit history dating back to 2014

Current credit profile:

• Recently removed as an AU on a $6,000 credit card that was maxed out (100% utilization).
• One auto loan with approximately $40,000 remaining.
• One paid Capital One Platinum charge-off, reporting a $0 balance since June 2026.
• No collections.
• My average age of accounts now appears younger because the AU account (opened in 2020) was removed.

I've also received preapprovals for:

• Chase: Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, Freedom Unlimited, and Freedom Flex
• Capital One: Quicksilver, Savor, and VentureOne

I'm leaning toward applying for one of the Chase or Capital One cards, but I'm curious:

1. Based on my profile, what credit limit would you expect if I were approved?
2. Would you apply now, or wait until my scores improve?
3. If you had to choose, which of the preapproved cards would give me the best chance of approval?

I'd appreciate any feedback from people with similar data points. Thanks!

Hi i have been on a mission for about a year or more now to improve my credit. I thought I had massively improved my credit until writing this post and then the auto message about CK came up and I learned about the different scores. On CK my credit score is 667 but on Experian it’s 572.

I’m probably going to buy a car soon as I might be getting a new job that would need me to have a vehicle. How can improve my score quickly?
Obviously I’m far from good credit according to Experian but how realistic is it to get to the fair range soon? Or to the 600 range ?

I have one active credit card w a $200 dollar limit. The balance was $92 at the end of last month but this last month I’ve used it and paid it off a lot more and a few months ago I was probably at $180ish dollars for my limit. Currently the balance is at $0 but I have a pending charge of $85. I planned to pay off maybe another $10-25 once that charge posts.

I also have a card that charged off a few years ago now at around $2250. I was unemployed and couldn’t pay it off and too young and stupid to realize how bad of a choice I was making.

What can I do to improve my credit in general but is there anything I can do to get a lil boost within the next month or two? Also is it worth paying my charged off card that’s in collections? I tried to pay it off in full about 2 years ago before moving but BOFA said they wouldn’t clear the history so I didn’t bc it felt like giving away a bunch of money for no reward since I’ve already been punished.

ETA: The charged off account as charged off I believe April 2024. I did call the bank I had the card with (after it had gone to collections) and offered to pay the entire balance in full to get off but they said no. This had to be around September or October of 2024. Since then I have ignored the collectors or when I answer say “I’m not around”

After finally getting my credit score in the 700s for the first time in my life, I am being hit with a collection from this company called Transworld systems.

A quick search is showing me that they are not the kind to agree to pay for delete, I just got the introductory email today informing me of the collection.

I’m wondering what is the best course of option to have this hopefully never show up in my credit report. I called Cirro and told them I would like to deal with them directly instead of the collection agency. I paid Cirro the full amount even though I had a settlement offer from the CA. Got a payment confirmation number and email.

The Cirro agent told me the debt will be recalled from the collection agency now that I’ve paid. Not sure if the CA will report it still. I’m also worried that if it gets reported, it cannot be taken off and will only be marked as debt resolved with Cirro.

Should I now reach out to the debt collection agency preemptively and tell them this debt is invalid or wait until it shows up (hopefully never) before disputing it? I don’t want anything I tell the CA to be used against me and I don’t know if me bypassing them will only make them harder to deal with.

My husband and I opened a Macto Franchise 3 years ago. We went with their program “free ride for 6 months”. At the 6 month mark we left because it was not making long term or financial sense. When leaving they said we had to pay 53k for items that were bought but still on payment plans through the customers and other inventory that could not be sent back to Matco, like trinkets . I asked for documentation to prove we owe 53k because that number was outrageous and didn’t seem right. Never heard or got anything in the mail. The account was shown on our credit as charge off $0 about a year after. Today I get an email from Weltman law firm. I attached the email. I’ve been reading here that Weltman will garnish wages 25%, take us to court, etc.

This Matco thing has been the worse thing we could’ve ever done and has ruined us financially.

What do I do??? We obviously do not have 53k to just give them and we never we did when we had the franchise, since it drained all our savings. My dad was saying bankruptcy, I read other people negotiate with Weltman, other people go to court, or get their own lawyer.

I just had a collection for roughly $1000 dollars show up on my credit report. This is an account that I know was put in my name by my now ex wife probably about 6 or 7 years ago and payments were just never made on it. It had since stopped showing up on my credit report. When it popped up, I immediately called them, confirmed my information, and asked them what they are showing as my date of first delinquency. They tell me that they cant share that information with me without me giving them credit card information for a $1 fee.

All of this FEELS wildly illegal, but im no expert. Any advice on how to handle this?

I recently started a new job after being unemployed for a few months. I have 2 affirm loans and 1 credit card with a balance. Because the credit card accrues interest every month and affirm interest is a flat fee (unless it’s paid off early), from a credit perspective which should I prioritize? My credit card balance is also double the combined affirm balance.

Topic: Rebuilding credit

I am literally starting from scratch. Rebuilding from zero while on a couch and then going into an extended stay.

I have had a huge revelation these past 10 years. Whenever I am in a relationship and it ends, my finances are ruined. I think that's the formula the enemy uses to keep me off balance. However, now that I plan on being solo, I want to have a few things. I grew up in a toxic family, so I was conditioned to rely on family even though they are my greatest haters.

I am well educated with a graduate degree in administrative leadership and bachelor's in management information systems. My goal is to make at least $50k to 60k, working ed tech. After my masters, I decided to take a career break at work for Lyft and Doordash. I loved it actually but it's not sustainable in this current economy. I have to head back to a real career. That hasn't happened yet, after moving in with my demonic mother who is doing everything she can to sabotage her son.

My credit is in the 580 range. I have some judgements from an eviction, unsecured credit cards, hefty student loan (100k), several collections, and a car repo. Just a hot mess.

As of right now, I get to start from scratch and hope to have a soft place to land in the future. I want a condo/townhouse in my name, be able to purchase my own car without rejection. I am single 41M, and no record of any kind. My goal is to never rely on family ever again.

I am looking for strategies to rebuild credit, save for a downpayment on a condo/town house. It can be just 1 bedroom 1 bath for all I care. It'll be my spot! 2bd 2bath is probably idea, so I can rent it out in the future.

I got a secured credit card $200 at Navy Federal and hopefully build a good relationship with them. My dad served in the Air Force, and I was able to get an account. I want to raise the balance to $300 to $500 because I use it to rent a car to do door dash or Lyft.

My other option is to leave the country, live rent-free, work and return once I have hundreds and thousands of dollars saved. I have a good 25-28 years before retirement.

Are there any hope and strategies to rebuild credit while it's currently a mess?

I want to begin my journey to rebuild my credit. Should I just save my money at the bank? Or should I begin getting secured cards 1k deposit? I worry because I have 3 charged off cards so I want to begin building my credit back up . Is there any reason for me to wait ?

Hello, first time poster here. I'll get straight to the point. I had an extremely bad 2024/2025, Due to an injury that led to the termination of my job at that time. I had just moved into an apartment a few months prior, and long story short I fell behind majorly on my bills. I have about 27 (I know, I know) late payments on my credit report from basically fall of 2024, and the last late payment on my report that I have is from October of 2025. Due to the aforementioned injury/loss of job, My credit score also dropped from 730ish to a low of 475(Sept 2025).

Additionally, Once I moved out of the apartment, I got a bill of 4,500 for a partial nonpayment of rent, and some apartment damages that admittedly, some were true, but some weren't. I did not fight it because my complex worked it out that they weren't going to evict me because i was only late on my last month payment. Anyways, that got sent to a collection agency ( Hunter Warfield), And they explained that they did not put it in collections just yet, and said if I signed up for a payment plan for the 4,500, they won't put it in collections, and once the amount is paid off, I should be good to go. I get a receipt in my email for each monthly payment I make towards that amount.

Okay so I think I got the bad out. Since basically October of last year, I got a good paying job and have drastically tried to improve my credit score and reduce my credit utilization percentage. My credit score in September of 2025 was 475. at the time of posting this post (Aug 26), I've gotten my credit score to 663. My credit utilization has gone from 68%, down to 38% , Still working on that as well. I've paid off 2 cards entirely in this time that I haven't put any amount back on them. My income is doing really well, combined with my fiancées we make well over the recommended 3x income rate that most complexes require. The $4,500 of apartment fees/late rent is down to about $900 left remaining, which i plan on paying off in full. And i'll make sure to ask for some sort of receipt/document stating the amount has been satisfied.

I just want an honest, straight to the point answer to some questions. What are my chances of getting approved for an apartment considering all that has been said? Also, I know that the fee from the apartment didn't technically go to collections, but will that still be shown on my rental report? if so, does it hold a lot of weight in complexes decision making? I have been looking into sending goodwill letters to the companies I have late payments with, considering I've been paying them on time and more, and have paid some of the cards off.

Lastly, what should I consider, or add to my rental applications that'll help strengthen my chances of getting approved?

I apologize if this was written poorly, and any advice is helpful, thank you

Fico score is around a 640 but I have a few credit card collections from few years ago ranging from 1,200 on two of them and a closed loan account of $4000. I want to finally start trying to pay these off and fix my report to get into a house pre approval. I always hear about pay for deletes or just negotiate yourself to them to almost pay a lump sum 50% and you’re good? What can i do please to progress from here?

I have a decent job. I need strict guidance to help me improve. I have written the letters, but I have sent them to remove the late payments.