text: sell house or continue to pay off credit cards? my credit rating is not all that good due to a lot of late payments. i am also in debt. i could sell my house and pay everything off, but i don't know if i could get a apartment because of my credit. i could start a payment schedule and fix my credit rating over time. which is better getting out of debt or fixing my credit rating? and what is the best way to check a credit rating? i would definately not sell your home.  especially if you already have a lot of equity in it.  i wish i had more info.  ok, lets assume you have a some equity in your home, and you have a decent job.  you ran up a lot of money in credit cards.  by the time you finish paying your utility bills and other expenses you don't have enough for payments on your cards.  i bet you have been making minimum payments too, right?  i would not refinance your home unless the interest rate is high.  i'd suggest getting a home equity loan.  that way you roll all your payments into one, and you can write off the interest on your taxes.  but be warned!!!!  you must get control of your spending and quit using credit cards.  this is the trap that thousands of people have fallen into, and end up filing for bankruptcy.    the new bankruptcy laws are a lot worse, and will cost you more.   now, if you don't have much equity, how is going to sell your home going to pay off your credit cards?  by the time you sell it and pay off the existing mortgage, you won't have anything left to start over with, let alone pay off credit cards.  in this situation you may want to look at going chapter 7 (if you qualify).    good luck