Soft inquiry
A soft pull may be used for monitoring or an early review and generally is not visible to other creditors as a credit-seeking inquiry.
Credit and Income
Soft pull versus hard pull
A soft inquiry does not affect the credit score. A hard mortgage inquiry can have a small impact, but fear of the inquiry should not replace an informed financing review.
Hard inquiry
A hard pull is recorded when credit is requested and may create a small, temporary score effect that varies by profile and model.
Mortgage shopping windows
Many scoring models group qualifying mortgage inquiries made within a model-specific shopping window, but the length and treatment vary.
Ask which review is being used
A prequalification, preapproval, and fully underwritten approval are not identical. I will explain the credit review and authorization before pulling it.
Written by Marta Lillard
25+ years of mortgage experience, explained in plain English.
Mortgage Broker · First Coast Mortgage Funding · NMLS #879436 · Licensed in Florida and Georgia
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