Duane Buziak offers free mortgage prequalification without a hard credit check. Free Prequals by Duane Buziak runs a NoTouch Credit Pull, so you can see where you stand with no impact on your score. Many other providers run a hard inquiry at some point in the pre-approval process, and the labels they use (“prequalified,” “pre-approved,” “preapproval”) are inconsistent enough that you can’t tell from the name alone.
This article names who offers this service, explains the mechanics of soft and hard pulls, and puts real dollars on what a small score drop can cost. It also gives you a way to verify any provider’s claim before you hand over a Social Security number. By Duane Buziak, Mortgage Maestro.
A Broker Who Offers Free Mortgage Prequalification Without a Hard Credit Check, and Where Others Stand
Free Prequals by Duane Buziak provides free soft pull mortgage pre-qualification online through the NoTouch Credit Pull. Duane Buziak is a mortgage broker, not a single-institution lender, with access to hundreds of wholesale lenders. He holds a Virginia Broker of the Year distinction and has more than 1,400 five-star reviews. The prequalification carries no credit score impact, and it costs nothing.
Elsewhere, the market falls into four groups:
- Brokers using a soft pull. Practices differ from one broker to the next, so ask.
- Large national online lenders. Rocket, Veterans United, NFM Lending, Movement, and Alcova are examples of companies whose current credit-pull policy you should confirm directly. Policies change by product, state, and stage, and nothing here describes what any of them does today.
- Retail banks. Many commonly run a hard inquiry once you move from a rough estimate to a formal pre-approval.
- Credit unions. Practices vary by institution and by whether you are asking for an estimate or a letter.
The pattern across the industry is that a hard inquiry often arrives at the pre-approval step. It is not universal, which is why you have to ask.
The terms, defined
A soft pull is a credit check that does not affect your scores. A hard pull is an inquiry recorded when a lender checks your credit as part of a credit application. Prequalification is usually an estimate based on information you provide. Pre-approval usually means a deeper review of documents and credit. No regulation fixes those meanings, so one company’s “prequalification” may include a hard inquiry while another’s “pre-approval” does not. Judge the process, not the label.
Soft Pull vs. Hard Pull: What Each One Does to Your Score
A soft pull is a review of your credit that is not tied to a credit application. It does not count in scoring, and lenders cannot see it when they evaluate you later. A hard inquiry is recorded when a company checks your credit to make a lending decision, and it shows up on your report. The CFPB’s consumer guidance on credit reports and scores explains how inquiries appear and who can see them.
The commonly cited figures are these. A single hard inquiry often lowers a score by fewer than ten points. It generally stays on your credit report for two years but affects the FICO calculation for only the first twelve months. Treat the point figure as typical, not guaranteed. The drop depends on your file, and someone with a thin credit history can see more movement than someone with a long one.
The rate-shopping window
Scoring models generally treat multiple mortgage inquiries made within a short window as a single inquiry. The window length depends on the scoring model, with commonly cited ranges from 14 to 45 days, so confirm which applies to you. The CFPB’s mortgage rate-shopping guidance encourages comparing offers. This protection is real, but it does not make the first pull free. It limits the damage from additional pulls.
The NoTouch Credit Pull is the contrast. It supports no hard inquiry mortgage pre-approval planning: you get a read on programs and numbers before any application-linked inquiry exists. A hard pull becomes relevant only when you choose a path and move into underwriting, covered later in this article.
What a Few Points Cost: A Worked Dollar Example
This is an illustration, not a quote or a current rate. Suppose you are buying with a $300,000 FHA loan on a 30-year term. Your score is 590. A hard inquiry drops it to 580. Assume, hypothetically, that the 580 score prices at 6.75% and the 590 score at 6.50%. Principal and interest only, no mortgage insurance or taxes:
- At 6.50%: $1,896.20 per month, or $682,632.00 over 360 payments.
- At 6.75%: $1,945.79 per month, or $700,484.40 over 360 payments.
- Monthly difference: $49.59.
- 30-year difference: $17,852.40.
That is nearly $18,000 over the life of the loan from a ten-point move, in this scenario. The figures use payments rounded to the cent.
Why it only sometimes happens
Pricing moves in tiers, not point by point. A ten-point drop matters only if it crosses a tier boundary. A borrower sitting at 620 with the nearest boundary at 600 may see no change. A borrower at 590 may cross a line that carries a different rate or a different program minimum. FHA, for instance, has score thresholds that affect the down payment required, and individual investors often add their own requirements.
That uncertainty is the argument for a soft pull mortgage pre-qualification first. You can see where you stand, and how close you are to a boundary, before any hard inquiry could push you across one.
Side-by-Side: NoTouch Credit Pull vs. Typical National Lender vs. Typical Bank
Dare to Compare. The table below is a factual structural comparison, not a rate contest. Cells for typical providers are hedged because practices vary and change.
| Feature | Duane Buziak / NoTouch Credit Pull | Typical National Lender | Typical Bank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit pull at prequalification | Soft pull through the NoTouch Credit Pull | Often a soft pull for estimates; a hard inquiry is commonly used at pre-approval | Commonly a hard inquiry once a formal application begins |
| Score impact at this stage | None | None to modest, depending on the stage | Often modest if a hard inquiry is run |
| Time to prequalification result | Online request; confirm timing when you apply | Often same day to a few days | Commonly a few days, sometimes longer |
| Access to loan options | Hundreds of wholesale lenders through one broker | That company’s own products | That institution’s own products |
| Score floor by program | Matched to the program and investor that fit your profile | Often set by the company’s own overlays | Commonly stricter, especially outside conventional loans |
Why broker independence matters here
A bank or single lender can only offer its own products. A broker can compare programs across many wholesale lenders from one application. That is how a broker can shop without triggering multiple hard pulls: the early comparison happens on a soft review, and a hard inquiry comes later, once you’ve chosen a direction. Whatever the provider, ask what happens to your credit at each stage.
How to Verify Any Provider’s No-Hard-Pull Claim
Ask these questions before you share a Social Security number:
- Is this a soft pull or a hard inquiry?
- At what stage will a hard pull happen, if at all?
- Is the letter based on verified documents, or only on what I tell you?
- Will anything I submit now be reported or shared with other companies?
- Can I get the answers to the first two questions in writing?
Warning signs
- “No credit check” wording that never says what kind of pull is used.
- A “pre-approval” that requires a full application before you see any numbers.
- Fine print authorizing a hard inquiry buried in the consent box.
Also check the loan officer’s license. NMLS Consumer Access is the public search tool for licensing and employment history. If you cannot find the person or company, stop.
When a hard pull will eventually be needed
Be wary of anyone who promises you will never have a hard pull. Underwriting and rate lock generally require a full credit review, because the final decision depends on it. A soft pull prequalification is a planning step, not a commitment. Its value is that you learn your position, fix problems, and choose a program before the inquiry that counts.
Getting Your Free Prequalification Through Duane Buziak
The process is short:
- Submit basic income, debt, and asset details online.
- Duane Buziak runs the NoTouch Credit Pull, a soft review with no credit impact.
- You receive a prequalification estimate across the loan programs you may fit: FHA, VA, conventional, and USDA where eligible.
Duane Buziak is licensed in Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, the District of Columbia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Maryland. This is a national-scope service, but licensing is by state, so confirm that your property’s state is covered before you start.
Loan size matters to program choice. For 2026, the conforming loan limit is $806,500, and it is $1,249,125 in high-cost areas, per the FHFA’s 2026 announcement. Above your area’s limit, jumbo options come into play. Closing costs are worth raising early too, because Duane Buziak can discuss no-out-of-pocket closing options where the program and scenario allow.
A prequalification is not a loan approval or a commitment to lend. It shows you a realistic range and the programs worth pursuing, and the final terms depend on underwriting.
Start With a Prequalification That Leaves Your Score Alone
Duane Buziak offers mortgage pre-approval without hard pull impact at the prequalification stage, a no credit impact mortgage pre-qual that tells you what you can do before anything touches your score. Ask every provider the questions above, then compare.
Take the first step toward homeownership with confidence: get your free mortgage prequalification today and discover exactly what you can afford, with no obligation and no cost. Work with award-winning Mortgage Maestro Duane Buziak and benefit from expert guidance, industry connections, and potential savings on your home loan. You can also call 804-212-8663.