Your agent keeps telling you not to make big purchases during the home-buying process, but you just don’t understand why. For starters, a purchase, big or small, can change your credit score and mess up the deal before it’s even closed. In order to avoid making some costly mistakes, here is a list of the things you should refrain from buying and doing until your new home closes. Learn now, and avoid the, "what were you thinking?" questions later.
1. Don’t quit your job
I know you’re excited about your new home, but this is NOT the time to start re-evaluating your entire life. A new home is enough excitement for one month. Save the job search for next month.
2. Don’t make large purchases
It’s really tempting to splurge on big scale purchases like a new car, furniture or appliances to match your fancy new home. It is even more tempting when a store is offering you a $10,000 line of credit with no payments for one year, but just don’t do it. Seriously, no. At least not until the deal has closed and the keys are in your hands.
3. Don’t make large deposits or withdraws
If you are going to accept a large amount of money or move a large amount of money from one place to another, make sure your lender knows. Most of these things can easily be explained and likely will fly under the radar so long as they are brought up before hand and not discovered by your lender later. Remember, until the deal is signed and everything is done, you are under a watchful microscope. Don’t do anything to mess it up.
4. Don’t open or close lines of credit
Opening up new credit cards or closing old ones just before signing on your new home can potentially affect your credit score, and not in a good way. That being said, as mentioned before, wait until your mortgage and title are secure before making any risky moves.
5. Don’t pay your bills late
This may seem obvious but it tends to slip some homebuyers' mind. Stay on top of all your payments and don’t let late fees creep up on you. Don’t ruin your credit score days before your loan goes through.
All in all, don’t forget that from the day you first speak with a lender until the day you sign on the dotted line, they are watching you under a very fine microscope. Any move, big or small, can hinder the closing process and prevent you from moving into that beautiful new home. It’s always best to wait until the keys are in your hand before making any risky moves.
