Mortgage Glossary
Hard Inquiry
Defined by Onias Derilus, Mortgage Capital · NMLS# 1859012 · Florida licensed mortgage broker
A hard inquiry is a credit check triggered when you apply for new credit, which can temporarily lower your score by a few points.
What Hard Inquiry means
Mortgage rate shopping within a short window counts as a single inquiry for scoring, so comparing lenders does not stack penalties. Unlike a soft inquiry, a hard pull is visible to lenders and tied to an application.
Florida example
A buyer compared three Florida lenders within two weeks; the multiple hard inquiries counted as one, so the score dipped only slightly.
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