Hi, robert82187, welcome to the forums!

There's a much easier way to control the credit profile that you represent to lenders, and it doesn't cost a penny of interest. Just read around here, especially on the credit cards forum and this one, and you'll find out how to let a minimal amount report without carrying balances. You should be able to recover a lot of those points. Inquiries don't make that much of a dent in your scores, although the new accounts that result from them will drive them down for several months.

Sorry to read about the unexpected credit pulls. It seems like everyone pulls these days, often for what seems like nothing at all.