If you have been looking at houses for rent to own and are working towards qualifying for a mortgage in a year or two, you will take a very different approach to credit restoration than someone who is trying to give their score a boost so they can make a major purchase next month.  You make ask why this is.

The reason your approach would be different is because there are certain things that you can do that lower your score in the short run but will cause an increase over time.  An example of this would be opening new accounts for purposes of establishing a positive credit history.  In the short run both the inquiry and the new account will lower your credit score.  But, as long as you pay the account on time and do not max out any new credit cards you get, the long term impact will be a much higher score.

A longer time frame also enables you to implement much more advanced strategies.  If you need to fix your credit quickly, you will be limited to things like becoming an authorized user, credit bureau disputes and paying down debt.  Those with more time can do all of these things as well as things like debt validation, multiple rounds of disputes and the 623 method of disputing with the original creditor.