This is a fairly silly question, but I want to app for some prime cards once I close on my house in April. I think I should wait atleast a month after that just in case the lender wants to pull my reports again. I currently have rebuilder cards (First Premier, Credit One, Capital One) an Amex Oasis and a Kohl's charge. From what I gathered from all the good folks here, I should app for a Barclays and Walmart as they pull TU (scores in the signature and that credit report has 3 COs reporting zero balance), Amex Green Charge, and Amex BCE.
Anywho, how will my mortgage INQs (just 2) affect my apps? Total, EX will have 4 INQs and TU will have 3 INQs at time of app.
;Starting Score: Low 500s FICO Aug 2008
AFAIK, generally inquiries' impact on scores is pretty small. You'd probably lose a couple of points per inquiry. The other thing is that some lenders are extra sensitive to the amount of inquiries you have, so just apply wisely.
Starting Score (08/11/11): TU08: 643
@pizzadude wrote:
I woukd be very suprized if there were any issues ~ 3 or 4 inquiries is very few, so I think you will be fine
Agreed
Thanks everyone! That's good to know. I think I'm just going to app for all of the cards at the same time.
Congrats on closing and becoming a homeowner. I had no problem being approved for credit after getting into my new home. The mortgage may have helped. I was approved for 3 different credit cards. You should be good to go.
Thanks Frogfan 
. I haven't closed yet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm under contract and got prequalified. Now I just have to turn in my financials. Wish me luck! This will be my first home, it's pretty major. It's great but a little scary.
Not in a rush per se, by the time I apply it will be 6 months after closing (I plan things WAY in advance, its a curse sometimes). Contrary to my name I've only had to rebuild once lol (maybe I should change it ) I do want to get rid of the rebuilders I have now, but even now I don't use credit cards. I pay cash for everything and have small automatic charges on my cards to keep them active and PIF monthly (I don't want to get into a credit mess again). I do have to buy furniture bc I don't have any (long story), but I get a substantial bonus (~20K) in April so I'm paying cash for it anyway.
When I was first started rebuilding I read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover (I think that's the name) and took to heart his advise to only pay interest on things that appreciate. Thanks for you concern though I wish you were around when I was in college and ran up all my credit card debt. That's the type of advice I should have been given then. I regret it, but in a way I don't. Because at an early age I learned a tough credit and financial lesson that I can take into my future.