Repair your Credit
You may begin repairing your credit by paying off or paying down debt. A home equity line of credit or home equity loan is a good way to achieve that.
It will involve consolidating debt but more than likely your overall monthy payment should be lower. In some cases, the downside is you will be paying more in interest over the period of the loan.
There are various ways to improve your credit:
Keep Credit Balances low
Pay Down Large Balances
Monitor Reports for Fraud
Build your Credit with a few accounts
Repair Your Credit
Increase Your FICO Score