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Since 2003, Dan Green has been a leading mortgage lender and respected industry authority. His unwavering commitment to first-time home buyers and home buyer education has established him as a trusted voice among his colleagues, his peers, and the media. Dan founded Homebuyer.com to expand the American Dream of Homeownership to all who want it. Read more about Dan Green.
Homebuyer.com is your trusted guide to homeownership. Since 2003, our team has offered real-world expertise and advice to tens of millions of U.S. home buyers. Our content stands on its integrity: it's factual, unbiased, and free from outside influences. Read more about our governing editorial guidelines.
We also exist for profit and want our readers to understand how we make money.
Homebuyer.com is a mortgage-company-affiliated publisher. We earn compensation when you click specific links on the website, or apply for a mortgage with Homebuyer.com or partner listed in our comparison tables. Our partners compensate us differently, so we randomize our tables to protect our readers from steering. We may also earn compensation for advertisements on the site, which are indicated clearly. Note that limitations in our software, whether we originate mortgages in your area, and credit factors may affect the offers and comparison tables you see on various parts of this site. We do not include offers for every mortgage product available. Someday, we hope we will.
Your trust matters to us. This article was thoroughly checked for accuracy as of November 20, 2023. Homebuyer.com ensures every piece of information we share reflects the latest in mortgage standards. Learn more about our commitments to our reader in our editorial guidelines.
A soft credit check, also known as a soft credit inquiry, is a credit check that does not affect a home buyer’s credit score. Soft credit pulls are typically used as part of getting a mortgage pre-qualification.
A soft credit pull is a form of credit inquiry that provides a limited view of a home buyer’s credit report.
Mortgage lenders use soft credit checks to pre-approve home buyers who want to buy a home and sometimes use soft credit checks to verify the refinance qualifications of existing mortgage customers.
Unlike hard credit pulls, which can slightly lower your credit score, soft pulls do not affect your score or your creditworthiness. Instead, soft credit pulls give lenders a snapshot of your credit situation, helping them to offer you relevant products for which you may qualify, including the HomeReady mortgage or a USDA loan, without affecting your FICO.
Imagine a first-time home buyer is exploring their homeownership options and wanting to understand how much home they can afford to buy, so they contact a mortgage lender.
The mortgage lender takes an informal mortgage application and makes a soft credit pull.
The soft credit check lets the lender review the buyer’s credit report, calculate their debt-to-income, and estimate the buyer’s maximum purchasing power – all without harming the buyer’s credit.
A soft credit pull is a superficial check that does not impact your credit score, while a hard pull is a more thorough inquiry that occurs when you officially apply for credit, which can slightly lower your score.
Yes, you can see all the soft inquiries on your credit report, but these are only visible to you only and do not affect your credit score.
There is no limit to the number of soft pulls that can be done on your credit. They have no impact on your score, regardless of frequency.
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Mortgage Rate Assumptions
The Homebuyer.com mortgage rates shown on this page are based on assumptions about you, your home, and the state where you plan to purchase. The rate shown is accurate as of , but please remember that mortgage rates change without notice based on mortgage bond market activity.
The Homebuyer.com mortgage rates shown on this page are based on assumptions about you, your home, and the state where you plan to purchase. The rate shown is accurate as of {{ formatDate(rates[0].createdAt) }}, but please remember that mortgage rates change without notice based on mortgage bond market activity.
Our mortgage rate assumptions may differ from those made by the other mortgage lenders in the comparison table. Your actual mortgage rate, APR, points, and monthly payment are unlikely to match the table above unless you match the description below:
You are a first-time buyer purchasing a single-family home to be your primary residence in any state other than New York, Hawaii, and Alaska. You have a credit score of 660 or higher. You are making a down payment of twenty percent and using a 30-year conventional fixed-rate mortgage. You earn a low-to-moderate household income relative to your area.
The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be confused for a mortgage rate commitment or a mortgage loan approval.
Legal Disclosures
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