@Anonymous wrote:@SouthJamaica, @thornback @Anonymous Considering all points made, I believe I’m going to pass on an ssl for now, continue in the garden for the six months and revisit the idea of any potential ssl or cloc once I see where scores shake out to be at that time. While I feel the need to do at this time so I do not reset any aaoa clock, I really do not want to have too much new activity reporting for fear anything I have now established results in an aa with these uncertain times. I do not travel so no needed pressure to obtain any cards for that purpose. The cards I have opened are plenty to let me run my monthly spend through, implement AZEO, keep any uti low and have a cushion for an unexpected expense....especially as they grow and once I am possibly able to obtain my goal card in ~6 months. I also believe these 3 allow me to be diversified enough with the differing FIs allowing me to not have all my eggs in one basket. Thank you again for your comments, guidance and time spent! 🙂
Bear in mind that you don't want to apply for anything in the 12 or 13 month run up to your mortgage application.
I would go ahead to do the SSL. The plan with that is, you deposit $500 into a savings account, open the loan, and they give you $500 back. I did this with BECU a few years ago, since I did not have any installment loan at the time. And I did not pre-pay it down at all, just made the regular scheduled payments monthly.
The idea with the SSL is that it gives you that installment loan piece on your credit file, for cheap. It's one more step toward a thicker file, for pennies per month in net interest cost.
Also, I would not try to run AZEO every month. That's too tiring, and if you aren't applying for credit, the score you see does not matter to anyone. If a credit app appears in the future, then you can take steps to reduce utilization if necessary.
And, as noted, time with credit activity is built up over time 
