A NoTouch Credit Pull is the first move in a program-fit strategy: it lets you see which mortgage programs suit your situation without a hard inquiry on your credit report. By the end of this guide you will know what the process is, what it does to your score, what comes back, and when a full credit check does enter the picture. Duane Buziak, NMLS #1110647, walks through each step. Before you start, have your income documents, a basic employment history, and a rough purchase or refinance goal ready.
Step 1: Understand What a NoTouch Credit Pull Is (and Is Not)
A NoTouch Credit Pull is the pre-qualification process at Mortgage Shopping (Supra Mortgages / Duane Buziak Mortgage Maestro), designed to avoid a hard credit inquiry at the start. Your score is not affected while you explore programs. Exact mechanics, including how credit-related information is obtained at this stage, are confirmed directly with Duane Buziak, so ask him when you begin.
Four terms are worth separating:
- Hard inquiry: a credit check made when you formally apply for credit. It appears on your report and can lower your score by a small amount.
- Soft inquiry: a review that does not count toward your score, such as checking your own credit or a preliminary screening.
- Pre-qualification: an early estimate of the programs and price range that may fit you, based on information you provide. It is not a loan commitment.
- Pre-approval: a deeper review, usually with documents and a full credit report, that a seller or realtor can rely on more heavily. It is still conditional until underwriting finishes.
The most common misconception is that “no-touch” means your credit is never checked. It is checked. A full, hard-pull credit report is still required later, before final underwriting approval, because a mortgage cannot close on estimates alone. What the NoTouch approach changes is the sequence: you get a program-fit read first and take the hard inquiry only once you have chosen a direction.
That sequencing matters because the early questions are strategic, not financial commitments. Which program fits? What price range makes sense? Is there a flag, such as high debt-to-income, to fix first? None of those requires your score to take a hit.
Step 2: Decide Whether Now Is the Right Time to Start
Start early if you are unsure which program fits, or if you are timing a purchase or refinance. The choices include Conventional, FHA, VA, Jumbo, DSCR, and Non-QM, and the right one depends on facts you may not have fully mapped yet.
Two examples show the range:
- The move-up buyer. Suppose you are eyeing a $1,000,000 home with $200,000 down, which means an $800,000 loan. As of 2026, the FHFA baseline conforming loan limit is $806,500, with a high-cost-area ceiling of $1,209,750 (see the FHFA conforming loan limit page). At $800,000 you sit just under the baseline limit. At $100,000 down, you would be at $900,000 and in a different conversation, depending on your county.
- The self-employed borrower. If your tax returns show heavy write-offs, qualifying income on a conventional loan may look lower than what you actually earn. A bank statement or other Non-QM program may fit better, and it is far better to learn that now than after you have started a conventional file.
The mistake to avoid is waiting until you are under contract. If a score or debt-to-income issue limits your options, discovering it with a closing date looming leaves you with few good moves. Discovering it months earlier leaves you time to pay down a balance or restructure.
Limits and guidelines change annually, so treat any figure here as accurate “as of 2026” and confirm against the FHFA source before you rely on it.
Step 3: Gather the Information You Will Share
Pull together a short, accurate set of facts before you begin. You will typically need:
- Your legal name and current address
- Estimated gross income, monthly or annual
- Employment type: salaried, hourly, commission, self-employed, or retired
- Estimated assets available for down payment and reserves
- Property type and the price range you are considering
- The purpose of the loan: purchase, rate-and-term refinance, cash-out, or investment
Some borrowers need a little more. If you are self-employed, have your business income figures, 1099s, or recent bank statements nearby, since these drive whether a bank statement or Non-QM program makes sense. If you are an investor, note the expected monthly rent on the property, because DSCR programs qualify the property’s income against its payment rather than relying only on your personal income.
Accuracy matters more than speed here. Suppose you estimate $12,000 in monthly income when the documented figure is closer to $9,000. The pre-qualification will point you toward a price range you cannot actually support, and you will lose time recalibrating later. Use real figures wherever you have them, and flag the ones that are guesses.
One privacy note: share sensitive identifiers only through the secure channel Duane Buziak provides. Do not send them by ordinary email or text. Confirm what is actually required at this stage, since a program-fit read generally needs less than a full application does.
Step 4: Complete the NoTouch Credit Pull Pre-Qualification
The sequence is short:
- Submit the secure form with the information from Step 3.
- Authorize the review, reading the authorization language so you know exactly what you are agreeing to.
- Receive a program-fit read from Duane Buziak.
Starting with a NoTouch Credit Pull lets you explore these numbers without a hard inquiry hitting your credit, which is the whole point of doing it before any formal application.
What comes back is a practical picture, not a verdict. Expect three things: the programs that look likely to fit, an estimated purchasing range, and any flags worth addressing. Common flags include a debt-to-income ratio that is high for a given program, limited credit history, or recent late payments. A flag is not a rejection. It tells you what to work on, and sometimes it points you toward a different program rather than a different plan.
Be clear about what the result is not. It is an estimate. It is not a loan approval, it is not a rate lock, and it does not guarantee that any program will be available to you at closing. Final terms depend on documentation, a full credit report, an appraisal for purchases, and underwriting.
If the process cannot return a result, do not assume the door is closed. Thin files, mixed income types, and unusual property situations sometimes need a human look. Call Duane Buziak at (804) 212-8663 and talk it through. A conversation can often resolve in ten minutes what a form cannot.
Step 5: Read Your Results Through a Program-Fit Lens
Once you have a read, resist the urge to scan for the cheapest-looking monthly payment. Evaluate fit and total cost together.
Here is an illustration, using hypothetical numbers. Suppose you have a $500,000 loan and you are offered the option of paying $7,500 in points to lower your payment by $100 per month. The break-even is $7,500 ÷ $100 = 75 months, or 6 years and 3 months. If you expect to stay in the home ten years, you come out ahead: 120 months × $100 = $12,000 saved, minus the $7,500 paid, for a net gain of $4,500. If you expect to move in four years, you save 48 × $100 = $4,800 and lose $2,700 on the trade. Your expected time in the home decides the answer, not the payment alone.
Duane Buziak, NMLS #1110647
Programs differ in who they favor and what they cost. The table below compares them on fit, not pricing:
- Conventional. Best for borrowers with solid credit and a meaningful down payment. Advantage: flexible terms, and mortgage insurance can be removed later. Trade-off: stricter credit and debt-to-income standards.
- FHA. Best for lower down payments or rebuilding credit. Advantage: more forgiving qualification. Trade-off: an upfront mortgage insurance premium of 1.75% as of 2026, plus ongoing premiums (confirm current figures at HUD.gov).
- VA. Best for eligible veterans and service members. Advantage: no monthly mortgage insurance and flexible qualification. Trade-off: a funding fee, 2.15% for first use and 3.3% for subsequent use as of 2026 (verify at va.gov), with exemptions for some borrowers.
- Jumbo. Best for loans above the conforming limit. Advantage: financing for higher-priced homes. Trade-off: tighter reserve and credit expectations.
- DSCR. Best for investors. Advantage: qualifies on property cash flow. Trade-off: usually a larger down payment and different pricing structure.
- Non-QM. Best for self-employed or non-traditional income. Advantage: alternative documentation. Trade-off: usually higher cost than a conventional loan for similar borrowers.
The mistake to avoid is choosing on monthly payment alone. A lower payment with a funding fee or insurance premium that lasts for the life of the loan can cost more in total than a slightly higher payment that drops its mortgage insurance in a few years.
Step 6: Move From Pre-Qualification to a Hard Pull at the Right Moment
A full credit pull is required at formal application and underwriting. Make that move after you have chosen a program and are ready to proceed, not before. At that point the hard inquiry has a purpose: it supports a real loan file.
If you compare more than one mortgage offer, scoring models generally treat multiple mortgage inquiries within a short window as a single inquiry. The length of that window varies by scoring model, so check the current guidance at consumerfinance.gov rather than relying on a number from memory, and treat any figure as accurate only “as of” the date you read it.
Between pre-qualification and closing, protect your credit profile:
- Do not open new credit cards, auto loans, or store financing.
- Do not make large purchases on credit, such as furniture for the new home.
- Keep paying every account on time and keep balances steady.
- Do not move large sums between accounts without documenting them.
Underwriters re-check credit and debts before closing, and a new loan or a jump in balances can change your debt-to-income ratio at the last minute.
For the next move, connect with Duane Buziak at Mortgage Shopping (Supra Mortgages / Duane Buziak Mortgage Maestro). If you are buying, he can also bring in the realtor network so your search matches the price range your pre-qualification supports. If you still have questions about direction, another NoTouch Credit Pull lets you test a changed scenario, such as a different down payment or program, without adding a hard inquiry.
Confirm Your Fit, Keep Credit Steady, and Schedule the Conversation
After the last step, three things remain: confirm which program fits your plans, keep your credit stable while you decide, and schedule a conversation with Duane Buziak to turn the estimate into a real plan. Talk to Duane today for a no-obligation conversation with no credit impact, and see how independent mortgage expertise can shape the terms that fit you. The right mortgage is the one that fits your plans, not just the one with the lowest number on a rate sheet.
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