How to get mortgage closing costs without a hard credit check
Lenders typically require a formal application and a hard credit inquiry before providing detailed closing costs and fee disclosures. This forces borrowers to risk a ding to their credit score just to find out about hidden fees or whether an interest rate requires buying down points.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Submitting to a hard credit pull anyway to see the numbers because the potential interest savings outweigh the credit score impactDid this help you?
- 2Refusing to work with the lender and reaching out to other banks to explore alternative refinancing optionsDid this help you?
- 3Hesitating or refusing to complete loan applications that require a hard credit pull upfront.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I was asking them about what closing costs are involved because I don't want to pay some extra fees just to get a lower rate, but it seems I won't be able to know for sure until I fill out their application which does do a hard pull on my credit”source ↗
“I don't really wanna do a hard pull until I know what the closing costs are”source ↗
“Can’t get a loan estimate without an application. Can’t apply without a hard pull”source ↗
“idk if this 4.99% interest rate requires points buy down and they said they won't tell me unless i fill out the application. i feel like most brokers disclose this info up front. i don't really wanna do a hard pull and give out my info just to find out that the hidden fees are unacceptable”source ↗
“I was asking them about what closing costs are involved because I don't want to pay some extra fees just to get a lower rate, but it seems I won't be able to know for sure until I fill out their application which does do a hard pull on my credit”source ↗
Where this came up
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