Process · 4 min read
Can I use a credit card, buy a car, or open a store card while my mortgage is in underwriting?
August 9, 2026 · Written by Bill Egan, NMLS 7342
Short answer
Normal charges on a card you already have are usually fine. A new car, a new credit card, or a big furniture ticket is not. Egan Financial Group LLC pulls credit again before closing. A new monthly payment changes your debt-to-income ratio — the share of your monthly pay that already goes to debt — and can undo an approval you thought was finished.
01
Why this comes up
The house is under contract and someone already said you were approved. You still need a couch, a washer, or a safer car, and it feels silly to wait. You reached out because you do not want a toaster oven or a Honda to be the reason the loan falls apart.
02
Where this goes wrong
It goes wrong in the last stretch. A store pulls a new credit line. A car payment hits the file. We pull credit again before closing, which is normal, and the new balance is sitting there. Debt-to-income no longer works. The approval is pulled back. Earnest money and the rate hold are still on the clock, and the seller thinks you are stalling on purpose.
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What we do about it
We tell you in writing not to open new credit until after we fund. If something unavoidable happens — a medical bill, a broken furnace at the rental you are leaving — tell us the same day. Egan Financial Group LLC underwrites and funds in this shop, so we can re-run the numbers before the closing date slips instead of finding out at the table.
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How to get ready
Do not buy a car, furniture on credit, or a store card until you have the keys. You can keep using the cards you already have for groceries and gas if the balances stay in the same neighborhood. If you must finance something, call us first and we will tell you whether the file can take it. After we fund, you can shop. Before we fund, the loan is still alive.