Talk to your bank about a credit building loan. You only apply for a small sum, like $1000 or $2000. The money goes into a special account that you can't touch and you pay it back in automated small installments over a year or so. Every payment will get you a positive report and you have an actual loan history. While credit cards are good to boost your score, the score alone is not enough to get a good loan since lenders want to see your experience with a variety things.