Maybe it depends on how complicated your finances are, but for me, over-sharing was less stressful than trying to keep things tidy. The “clean account” method sounds good in theory, but in prac...
I get the appeal of just dumping everything in their lap, but I’ve seen folks run into issues when they share too much—like random old accounts raising questions or extra deposits needing explanations. Sometimes less really is more. “Clean account” isn’t perfect, but for some, it keeps things simpler. Guess it’s a toss-up depending on how many moving parts you’ve got.
Sometimes less really is more. “Clean account” isn’t perfect, but for some, it keeps things simpler.
I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, I’ve had the opposite experience. Trying to hide or “tidy up” accounts just made my lender ask more questions when something didn’t add up. Once I just laid out everything—even the weird old savings account with $12 in it—it actually sped things up because there were no surprises. Maybe it depends on the lender, but for me, transparency was less hassle than trying to curate a perfect snapshot.
I've noticed the same thing—when you try to streamline your accounts too much, it can look suspicious or just raise more questions. Lenders seem to appreciate when everything's out in the open, even if it's a random account with barely any balance. I remember once they asked about a dormant checking account from college... turned out being upfront about it saved a lot of back-and-forth. Guess it comes down to which hassle you prefer: explaining every detail up front, or chasing down clarifications later.
Yeah, I’ve run into that too. Once I tried to “tidy up” my accounts before a refi, thinking it’d make things easier—ended up getting grilled about every closed account. Now I just leave everything as-is and over-explain up front. Less hassle in the long run, even if it feels a bit silly.
Honestly, I had the opposite instinct—I thought closing old cards would make me look more responsible, but it ended up being a headache. The lender flagged every single change, and I had to dig up explanations for stuff I barely remembered doing. Now I just leave things untouched, even if it feels like I’m dragging around extra baggage. It’s weird how what seems “tidy” to us just creates more questions for them.