So I checked my FICO on 5/28 and it had jumped up like 70 points to 612 after I had paid some debt off. I'm getting excited because I know I can qualify for a mortgage when I hit 620 and I have a few more things that are about to come off my credit report as well. I talked with a mortgage lender and let him talk me into doing an inquiry (big mistake). The next time I check my score it has dropped to 600. I then had 1 more postive change to my credit report (paid something off) and when I checked again it was 595. What on earth could be going on? Why am I moving in the opposite direction after postive changes to my report. Does 1 inquiry actually cause that significant of a drop? Thanks.
EDIT: Forgot to mention one more thing...I did dispute a couple things on my credit report between the time it was 612 and it dropped. Is it possible this could have caused it? I also initiated a fraud alert via equifax but they assure me this doesn't affect my score.
