By the end of this guide you will know what NoTouch Credit Pull is, how a soft pull mortgage pre-approval works, and how to use it to compare real loan options without a hard inquiry. You need a rough goal (purchase or refinance), basic income and asset details, and about 15 minutes. Up Lending by Duane Buziak is Duane’s own independent mortgage brokerage, not a third-party rate-comparison aggregator, and I run this process myself.
Step 1: Understand What NoTouch Credit Pull Is (and Isn’t)
NoTouch Credit Pull is my name for a soft credit pull mortgage review. It lets me see your credit profile for pre-approval purposes without placing a hard inquiry on your credit report. You get a no hard inquiry mortgage pre-approval conversation, with real options, before your score is touched.
Two definitions matter here:
- Soft inquiry: a review of your credit that does not appear to other creditors and is not meant to affect your score.
- Hard inquiry: a credit check made when you formally apply for credit, which is recorded on your report and can lower your score slightly.
Who is on the other end matters too. I am a licensed mortgage broker in Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia (Duane Buziak, NMLS #1110647). I review your file myself and shop it across hundreds of wholesale lenders. Many websites advertise a “soft check” and then pass your details to someone else, so confirm you are dealing with the person who will actually structure your loan.
Be clear on what a soft pull is not. It is not an approval, and it is not the final underwriting credit check. A hard pull is typically still required later, once you pick a loan and submit a full application. The point is that you compare first and take the hard inquiry once, on the option you actually want.
Exactly which credit reports I review depends on your file, and I walk you through that on the call. Think of this guide as the framework, with the specifics confirmed as of 2026 in my current process.
Step 2: Gather the Basics You’ll Share Up Front
You do not need a folder of paperwork yet. For a mortgage pre-approval without hard pull, have these details ready to say out loud or type into a form:
- Your legal name, address, and date of birth, matching your government ID
- Your Social Security number, which is used to match your identity to your credit file
- Gross income from all sources, as an honest rounded figure
- Employment history for the past two years, or self-employment details
- Estimated savings and other assets available for a down payment and reserves
- Your target purchase price, or your current balance and home value if refinancing
Decide on your goal before we talk, because it determines which programs I compare. A purchase may point toward FHA, VA, conventional, USDA, or jumbo options. A refinance may mean a rate-and-term change or a cash-out. If you want to tap equity without touching your first mortgage, we look at a HELOC. If you are buying a rental, we look at a DSCR loan, which qualifies the property by its rent rather than your personal income.
The mistake I see most is guessing. If you are unsure of your income or monthly debts, give rounded but honest numbers rather than hopeful ones. Options built on inflated figures fall apart at underwriting, and then the comparison you made was meaningless.
Pay stubs, bank statements, tax returns, and W-2s come later, after you choose a path. None of them are needed to start.
Step 3: Request Your Soft Pull Pre-Approval With Duane
Call 804-212-8663 or use the application request on this site. Say plainly that you want a mortgage pre-approval without hard pull. That one sentence tells me how to handle your credit from the first minute.
Here is what happens next:
- You authorize the soft credit review and confirm your identity details.
- I review your credit snapshot, looking at score range, open accounts, balances, and anything that could limit program choices.
- No hard inquiry is recorded on your report during this step.
- We talk through what the snapshot means for your goal and which programs are realistic.
This matters most in two situations. If you are still comparing options, you should not pay a credit cost for every conversation. And if your score sits near a threshold, such as a program cutoff or a pricing tier, you want to avoid even a small dip before you know where you stand. The CFPB publishes buyer guidance on shopping for a mortgage, including how to compare offers, which is worth reading alongside this process.
One mistake to avoid is confusing a soft-pull widget on a lead-generation site with a broker reviewing your file. A widget may collect your details and sell them on, which can bring a wave of calls. With a soft pull mortgage broker, the person reviewing your credit is the person building your options.
Step 4: Read the Options Duane Brings Back
After the soft pull, I bring back scenarios sourced from hundreds of wholesale lenders, across the programs that fit you: FHA, VA, conventional, USDA, jumbo, DSCR, or HELOC. A wholesale lender is a mortgage funder that offers loans through brokers rather than directly to the public, so I can compare several rate sheets for you instead of presenting one.
For each option, read these five items side by side:
- Interest rate: the cost of borrowing, before fees.
- APR: the rate plus certain fees, expressed as a yearly cost, which makes offers with different fee structures easier to compare.
- Points: upfront charges paid to lower the rate, or credits that raise it.
- Estimated monthly payment: principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and mortgage insurance if it applies.
- Cash needed at closing: your down payment plus closing costs, minus any seller or lender credits.
Some scenarios can be structured as no-out-of-pocket closing options, where credits cover the closing costs. Those usually come with a slightly higher rate, so we weigh that trade-off together instead of treating it as a free lunch.
Once you move to a full application, you will receive an official Loan Estimate, a standardized three-page form. The CFPB explains it in its guide to what a Loan Estimate is. For program rules, see the HUD overview of FHA loans and Fannie Mae’s Single-Family resources for conventional terms.
The mistake to avoid is comparing rates alone. A lower rate with heavy points can cost more than a slightly higher rate with none, and APR plus cash to close shows that.
Step 5: Run the Numbers With a Worked Example
Suppose you are buying a $400,000 home with 5% down. That is a $20,000 down payment and a $380,000 loan. For illustration only, assume a 30-year fixed rate of 6.50% as of October 2026. This is not a quote, and your rate depends on your credit, loan program, and market conditions on the day you lock.
The monthly principal and interest comes from the standard formula, with a monthly rate of 0.065 divided by 12, or 0.005417, over 360 payments. At 6.50%, the payment factor is about $6.32 per $1,000 borrowed:
- $380,000 ÷ 1,000 = 380
- 380 × $6.3207 = about $2,402 per month
Now drop the rate by 0.25 points to 6.25%, where the factor is about $6.157 per $1,000:
- 380 × $6.1572 = about $2,340 per month
- Difference: about $62 per month, or roughly $22,400 over 360 payments
These figures cover principal and interest only. Property taxes, homeowners insurance, and mortgage insurance, which is common with a down payment under 20%, are added on top.
Throughout this comparison, none of these scenarios required a hard inquiry. The soft pull was enough to build them. After you pick one, a full application triggers the hard pull, and I can price that single file across several programs or wholesale lenders. Credit scoring models generally treat mortgage inquiries made within a short shopping window as one, though the window length depends on the model. The mistake to avoid is assuming the example rate applies to you. Use the structure of the math, then run it on your own numbers.
Step 6: Compare Duane’s Broker Approach Side by Side
Not every route to a mortgage works the same way at the first step. This table shows the structural differences, based on publicly described processes. Rocket Mortgage and Movement Mortgage are single-shelf direct mortgage companies, and policies can change, so confirm their current requirements as of 2026 before deciding.
| Factor | Duane Buziak (independent broker) | Rocket Mortgage / Movement Mortgage |
|---|---|---|
| Credit pull at the first step | NoTouch Credit Pull (soft pull), no hard inquiry to start | Typically a full application and hard pull to get firm quotes |
| Loan sources | Hundreds of wholesale lenders | One company’s own loan products and rate sheet |
| Program breadth | FHA, VA, conventional, USDA, jumbo, DSCR, HELOC, foreign national, and more | Broad menus, limited to what that company offers |
| Who sets your options | Me, by choosing among many funders for your file | The company’s pricing and guidelines |
| Process for comparing | Several scenarios built from one soft review | One company’s offer per application |
| Fits best when | You want to compare many options before any hard inquiry, or your file needs flexibility | You prefer a single-company experience and are comfortable applying first |
Two facts keep this comparison honest. Independence means more leverage, because I can move your file to whichever funder fits instead of fitting you to one rate sheet. And NoTouch Credit Pull is the digital counterpart to a quick online check, delivered with a broker reviewing the result. On credibility, Scotsman Guide ranked me #114 among top mortgage originators.
Then use Dare to Compare. Bring me any outside quote, from any company, and we will set it beside my options line by line: rate, APR, points, monthly payment, and cash to close.
Step 7: Move Forward When You’re Ready to Lock In
Once you have compared and chosen a program, you submit the full application. This is where a hard credit pull typically occurs, and that is normal. Final underwriting needs a complete, current credit report, and by now the hard inquiry is attached to a loan you have already chosen rather than to every option you explored.
Expect this sequence:
- Document collection: pay stubs, bank statements, tax returns, and ID.
- Your official Loan Estimate, which you should compare against the scenario we discussed.
- A rate lock, which holds your rate for a set period while the loan is processed.
- Underwriting, where the file is verified and conditions are cleared before closing.
Credit scoring practices evolve. Models accepted for mortgages have been changing in recent years, so check the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) site for its current announcements on credit score models, and ask me how any change affects your file. Rules differ by program, so FHA, VA, and conventional loans may not move in lockstep.
A licensing reminder: I serve buyers and homeowners in Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia only. If your property is outside those states, I cannot originate your loan, and I would rather tell you at the start than waste your time.
Start Your NoTouch Credit Pull With One Phone Call
Call 804-212-8663 and ask for a NoTouch Credit Pull. Ready to experience a fast, simple, and stress-free path to homeownership or refinancing? Connect with our trusted mortgage experts today and discover the right loan solution tailored to your unique financial situation, whether you’re a first-time buyer, seasoned investor, or anywhere in between.