re: Help understanding credit scores

There isn't just one credit score. There are many different variations.

Karma uses the Vantage score, which isn't really the same as the FICO most lenders use. Vantage scores do tend to be higher than FICO. Thing is, if you gained 75 points on one you probably did on the other too, or near enough. But the FICO score will still be a good bit lower. That's okay though, the lenders know the difference.

The exact number isn't as important as the direction, sounds like you are doing the right things but it just didn't help as much as you'd hoped. Just be aware that Vantage 700 isn't good, whereas FICO 700 is doing reasonably well. The scale is different, that's all, so you can't make a direct comparison.