Getting Pre-Approved Hurts Your Credit
One of the most common questions I get is,
“Do you have to pull my credit? I don’t want it to hurt my score.”
The reality is — yes, we do need to pull your credit during the pre-approval process. But let me explain why and how it actually helps you in the long run.
There are two types of credit pulls:
Soft Pull: This type doesn’t show up on your credit report and doesn’t impact your credit score. It’s often used for pre-qualifications or informational checks.
Hard Pull: This is what’s used for a full mortgage pre-approval. It does show up on your credit report, but the impact is typically very small — often just a few points — and it only lasts for a short time before your score rebounds.
Hard inquiries remain on your report for two years, but they only affect your score for a short period. And here’s something many people don’t realize: multiple mortgage credit pulls within a 45-day window count as one inquiry for scoring purposes. That means you can shop for the best rate without worrying about multiple hits to your credit.
Pulling your credit is important because it allows me to:
- Set a realistic budget with you.
- Identify opportunities to improve your score and qualify for a better rate.
- Make sure there are no surprises (and believe me, we often find small issues that can be fixed easily before closing).
And don’t worry — I use special tools to protect your information from “trigger leads.” Those are when credit bureaus sell your data after a credit pull, causing you to get bombarded with calls from other lenders. I take steps to minimize that so your information stays as private as possible.
At the end of the day, getting pre-approved is one of the smartest first steps you can take toward buying a home — and the small, temporary impact on your credit is far outweighed by the confidence, clarity, and savings it brings.
— Aaron Miller, Your Pittsburgh Mortgage Guy
