Getting tons of inquiries can lower your score. Some sites that say they shop around take your one request and pull credit up to 20-30 times. Not to mention when you get knee deep in your loan you have to call a toll free number vs having a personal banker. Try a mortgage broker- make sure they are the ones that offer shopping with one inquiry and you are face to face with the person who will help you make the biggest purchase of your life.

Chippy, it doesn’t cost anything to shop around at all. From my experience as a mortgage professional, many of my would-be clients do end up with some roadblocks at other banks or lenders.

Nothing that I would do as a professional would hurt your credit, but it’s hard to speak for others. It’s a smart idea to get pre-approved before you make any major plans, and that can easily be done by providing a small amount of information.

So, no money upfront at all, and no credit bruise is what you should expect. Also, the informational introductory phone call only takes a few minutes and then your set.