Charged off credit cards in Ohio.

I live in the state of Ohio and am looking to purchase a home within the next three years. Unfortunately, I came across some economic hardships a few years back and this lead to two charged off credit card accounts; one in 2003 and One in 2004. I have read articles about how severe these charge offs are on obtaining a home mortgage. I am in better economic waters now with a decent paying job. Ok so here is the problem: I have done some research about handling these charges-offs. One site suggested that I contact the creditor to see if there is any way to negotiate payment in half or in full of the amount that was originally owed. I did call the creditor directly and they referred me to a collection agency. I called the agency and informed them of my possible intentions. Was this a huge mistake given Ohio’s Statue of Limitations? I am afraid that by just contacting them, they will re-open my debt and report to the credit bureaus.
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If the collections are not on your report then yes you should have left them alone I guess.
I like to pay everything i ever borrowed off if I can. Responsible Credit Man!

so arent these collections on your report?
if they are on your report what can you do wrong?
nothing.
validate the the debt
then negotiate the debt
then either pay or dispute the debt and go on with your life.
Make sure you keep open 3 reported to a bureau lines of credit to overlap past bad credit.