You found the right home and your offer was accepted — now the real work begins. Here’s how to protect your loan from contract to closing.

Going under contract on a home is one of the best feelings in the world. But if you’re financing your purchase — as most buyers are — that moment is also the beginning of a critical window where your financial decisions really matter. Between the day your offer is accepted and the day you close, your lender is watching your finances closely. Any significant change to your credit, income, or assets can affect your loan approval, your interest rate, or both.

This isn’t meant to make the process feel stressful. Most of it is straightforward: stay steady, don’t make big moves, and communicate with your lender when questions come up. We walk our clients through this every time, and the buyers who have the smoothest closings are almost always the ones who were careful about these things. Here’s what to keep in mind.

Don’t Make Any Large Purchases

We know the new house is practically begging for new furniture, and the timing feels perfect for a new car. But your lender has approved you based on a specific debt-to-income ratio, and large purchases — whether financed or paid in cash — can shift that picture. Financed purchases add to your monthly obligations; cash purchases reduce the assets your lender is counting on. Either way, it changes the equation. If something feels important, call your lender first and get their okay before you commit.

Don’t Open New Lines of Credit

A new credit card or a store financing offer might seem harmless, but opening any new line of credit during this period can affect your credit score and increase your total debt obligations. What a lot of buyers don’t realize is that lenders typically run a second credit check just before closing. If something has changed since your initial approval, it can trigger a re-evaluation of your loan terms — or put your closing on hold while things get sorted out. It’s not worth the risk.

Don’t Close Existing Credit Accounts

This one surprises people. Closing a credit card you don’t use anymore might feel like responsible financial housekeeping, but it can actually lower your credit score by reducing your total available credit and raising your utilization ratio. Your lender has already factored your current accounts into their assessment. Leave things exactly as they are until after closing, then clean things up if you want to.

Don’t Let Your Credit Card Balances Climb

Credit utilization — how much of your available credit you’re using — is one of the factors that influences your credit score. If your balances go up significantly between your initial approval and closing, it can affect where your score lands when the lender pulls it again. Try to keep your spending patterns consistent with what they were when you applied, and avoid charging anything large that you can’t pay off right away.

Don’t Miss a Single Bill or Payment

A late payment on any account — credit card, car loan, student loan, whatever it might be — can drop your credit score at exactly the wrong time. Between contract and closing, every payment matters. Set up automatic payments if you haven’t already, double-check your due dates, and make sure nothing slips through the cracks. It takes only one missed payment to create a complication you really don’t want during this process.

Don’t Change Jobs or Leave Your Current Position

Lenders approve your loan based in part on your employment history and income stability. A job change mid-transaction — even a lateral move or a promotion — can raise questions, especially if it shifts your compensation structure. Moving from a salaried position to one that’s commission-based or moving into self-employment is particularly tricky, because lenders typically need a two-year history of that type of income before they can count it reliably. If a job change is on the horizon, talk to your lender before it happens.

Don’t Spend Down Your Savings

Your lender is tracking your assets, not just your income and credit. The funds you have set aside for your down payment and closing costs need to stay put — and lenders also want to see that you’ll have some reserves remaining after closing. Spending down your savings for any reason, even something reasonable, can raise concerns. Keep your accounts as stable as possible and save any non-essential spending for after the keys are in your hand.

Don’t Make Large or Unexplained Deposits

If a significant amount of money lands in your bank account during this period, your lender will need to know where it came from. This isn’t about suspicion — it’s a standard underwriting requirement to confirm that the funds aren’t undisclosed loans or borrowed money that would increase your debt load. If someone is contributing gift funds toward your purchase, let your lender know ahead of time. There’s a straightforward process for documenting gifts, and handling it proactively avoids delays.

When in Doubt, Call Your Lender Before You Act

The through-line here is simple: before you make any financial decision that feels significant, check in with your lender. A quick call can save you from a complication that could delay — or derail — your closing. We stay in close contact with our clients and their lenders throughout the entire transaction, and one of the things we hear most from buyers after closing is that they’re glad they asked questions along the way rather than assuming something would be fine.

Next Step

If you’re getting ready to purchase a home in the Charleston area and want to be connected with a trusted local lender, or if you just have questions about how the financing process works, contact us. We’ve been through this process with a lot of buyers, and we’re here to make sure you feel prepared every step of the way.

Warmly, Lauren, Tina and Gigi | Lauren Zurilla & Associates — Your Charleston Area Real Estate Experts