can I really go from 520 to 620 in a matter of months?

Hi everyone. I have been looking in to buying a house and after speaking to my mortgage lady, she says I need to raise my credit score from 520 to 620 to qualify for an FHA loan.

I have a car in my name that I make payments on on time, and 3 CC debts that I haven't paid on in a while. All this adds up to my 520 score. The mortgage lady seems to think we can get it up by 100 points over 4-6 months if I get a secured CC to charge groceries/gas on and pay it in full each time and also have myself added as an authorized user on my dad's cards which are all paid on time and in good standing.

What else can I do to raise this score? Do you think it's really possible to go up to 620 in time to buy a house this year? (I want to take advantage of the tax credit)

If you paid off your cc debt, it would raise your score significantly. If you were to get a secured cc and charge small expenses on them and pay them IN FULL every month, it would also raise your score. I would listen to your mortgage lady, they WANT to loan you money.

Indeed.

Those past due credit cards are what is dragging your score down.

but if one pays those past due balances, doesnt it drag the score down due to re-aging the debt? I also thought the "piggy-back" loop hole was closed as well?

My understanding is that the piggy backing still helps if the person is a relative.