"Thought consolidating some credit card debt onto one line would simplify things, but it actually dropped my credit score by about 20 points temporarily."
Yep, been there myself—thought I was being super smart by tidying up my finances right before applying. Turns out lenders don't love surprises, even if they're neat and organized ones. 😂 Learned the hard way that it's better to tackle debt consolidation at least a few months ahead of applying. Gives your credit score time to bounce back and lenders fewer reasons to ask for extra paperwork...which, let's be honest, nobody enjoys.
Yeah, consolidating debt can be a double-edged sword. I get the logic behind tidying things up, but honestly, sometimes lenders just see it as shifting debt around rather than actually reducing it. A friend of mine did something similar—thought he was streamlining his finances, but the lender ended up grilling him about why he suddenly opened a new credit line right before applying. It wasn't pretty.
Personally, I've found that focusing on paying down balances directly, even if it's across multiple cards, can sometimes look better to lenders. They seem to care more about your overall debt load and payment history than how neatly you've packaged it. Not saying consolidation is always a bad move, but timing and context matter a lot. Maybe it's worth running the numbers first or chatting with a mortgage broker before making any big moves... hindsight's always 20/20, right?
Good points—I've seen similar situations myself. A lender once told me straight-up that steady progress on balances mattered more than rearranging debt. It's frustrating, but patience and consistency usually pay off in the end... hang in there.
Yeah, patience really is key—though easier said than done. When I first started house hunting, my DTI was borderline scary. I remember nervously sitting in front of the lender, half-expecting him to laugh me out of the office. Instead, he just calmly told me to focus on chipping away at balances rather than shuffling things around. Felt like getting diet advice when you’re craving pizza—solid, but not exactly what you want to hear.
Anyway, I took his advice and made regular payments without obsessing over quick fixes. Took a while, sure, but eventually my numbers improved enough to get approved. Funny thing is, by the time I got that approval letter, I was so used to being patient that house hunting felt downright speedy by comparison. Hang in there... you'll get there too.
That's a great perspective—steady progress really does pay off. When I refinanced, my DTI wasn't ideal either, but focusing on consistent payments rather than quick fixes made all the difference. Slow and steady definitely wins this race...
