When it comes to credit reports and scores, understandably, there are a lot of misconceptions. One question that is frequently asked by our customers is “Does my credit score fall every time someone checks it?”
The short answer is – Yes. The more instances your credit report is called for, the lower your credit score gets. However, a short and simple answer is not sufficient.
Why does your Credit Score drop?
How is calling for your credit report related to your credit score? Credit report inquiries by potential creditors and financial institutions are known as hard inquiries. Hard inquiries affect your credit score.
The number of hard inquiries points to another piece of information, which is your credit or loan application is being rejected by creditors. This negatively affects your credit score.
Soft Inquiries Don’t Affect your Credit Score
On the other hand, soft inquiries are when you check upon your own credit report and score. It also includes when an organization checks your credit report just as a background check, such as when you join a job. Soft inquiries do not affect your credit score.
Now that you are aware of this, what should you do to prevent hard inquiries from affecting your credit score drastically?
Avoid Multiple Applications
Always avoid multiple loan or credit applications. When you apply for multiple credit applications within the same time period, your credit report will face multiple hard inquiries and this will negatively affect it.
Aim to never apply to more than three creditors at once.
Avoid a Broker
There is a misconception that utilizing a broker, who manages your credit application, reduces the number of hard inquiries. The broker conducts a credit check and then forwards your application to the relevant creditors. There is an assumption that only one credit check is conducted, however, creditors also do conduct a credit check on your application.
If you can’t avoid a broker, ensure that you have a high level of control on where your application is sent.
Pick the Right Creditor
Through research, you can ensure that you apply to the right creditor and the right creditor program to have your credit application accepted. This way, you will not have to apply to multiple creditors. For example, if the creditor’s program requires that you have a minimum credit score of 600 and you don’t, don’t apply for the credit program.
Do your research right and ensure that you qualify for the credit program before you apply for it.
If you do these three things and still find your credit score is dropping, then you require professional assistance. A credit Credit Consultant will analyze your credit situation and point out what the cause is.
