Most lenders run a hard credit pull just to tell you which refinance terms you might qualify for, and that inquiry can cost you points before you’ve even picked a loan. This guide shows you how to complete refinance prequalification online with Duane Buziak using a NoTouch Credit Pull, so you end up with a clear view of your options and no score impact.
Before you start, have a recent mortgage statement, basic income details, and a rough estimate of your home’s value within reach. Written by Duane Buziak, NMLS #1110647, a Virginia Broker of the Year in 2024 and 2025.
Step 1: Define What You Want the Refinance to Do
Pick the goal before you look at a single rate, because the goal decides the loan type. There are three common ones:
- Rate-and-term: lower your rate, your payment, or your loan term.
- Cash-out: turn home equity into cash for renovations, debt payoff, or other needs.
- Drop mortgage insurance: move out of a loan that carries FHA mortgage insurance or private mortgage insurance, if your equity now supports it.
Next, check what you hold today: FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional. Your statement or closing paperwork will say. The current loan type affects which refinance programs fit, and some government-backed loans have streamlined paths.
Then get a rough break-even number. Divide your estimated closing costs by your monthly savings to find the months needed to recoup them. For example, imagine $6,000 in costs and $200 in monthly savings: 6,000 ÷ 200 = 30 months. If you expect to sell or move before month 30, that refinance loses money.
Know the equity limits that shape cash-out goals. Conventional cash-out is capped at 90% loan-to-value (LTV), meaning your new loan can’t exceed 90% of the home’s value. VA cash-out can go up to 100% LTV for eligible borrowers. These are different programs with different rules, so don’t assume one applies to the other.
Mistake to avoid: refinancing into a longer term without counting total interest. A lower payment stretched over more years can cost far more over the life of the loan.
Step 2: Understand Why the Credit Pull Type Matters Before You Apply
A hard inquiry happens when a company checks your credit to make a lending decision, and it is recorded on your report. A soft inquiry is a check that does not count against you, such as looking at your own report. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains how credit scores are built from your report. Hard inquiries are commonly said to cost a few points and stay on the report for two years, though the effect varies by borrower. Check the CFPB’s current wording for specifics.
A few points sounds minor until it lands near a pricing tier. Here is an illustration, not a quote. Suppose you have a $300,000 balance on a 30-year loan, and a hard pull drops your score from 740 to 730, which moves your pricing from 6.50% to 6.75%:
- At 6.50%, the principal and interest payment is about $1,896.20 per month.
- At 6.75%, it is about $1,945.79 per month.
- The difference is $49.59 per month, or $17,852.40 over 360 payments.
Actual pricing varies by day, lender, and loan program, and not every 10-point drop moves your rate. But the same pattern applies near other cutoffs, such as 620 and 640, and the cost lands on you whether or not you ever close the loan.
Duane Buziak’s NoTouch Credit Pull delivers soft pull mortgage pre-qualification, so shopping your options does not touch your score. Duane Buziak is a Scotsman Guide Top Originator (#114 in 2025 with $44.4M, and again in 2026 with $51.2M), and this is the process he uses to let borrowers look before they commit.
Mistake to avoid: assuming “free” or “online” means no hard inquiry. Many free online tools still pull your credit the traditional way. Ask directly before you submit anything.
Step 3: Gather the Documents and Numbers You’ll Need
Collect these before you open the form:
- Your latest mortgage statement, showing balance, interest rate, and servicer.
- Your homeowners insurance declarations page.
- Recent pay stubs or W-2s.
- Two years of tax returns, if you are self-employed.
Now estimate your home’s value. Recent comparable sales within a mile or so are a good guide, and an online estimate can serve as a cross-check. Treat any figure as a range, since the appraisal will set the real number later.
Use that value to calculate LTV: loan balance divided by home value. For example, $240,000 owed on a $400,000 home is 240,000 ÷ 400,000 = 60% LTV. That leaves room for most refinance and cash-out programs. If you’re at 88% or 95%, your options narrow, and cash-out may be off the table.
Then list your monthly debts: car payments, student loans, credit card minimums, and any other recurring obligations. Lenders compare these to your gross monthly income to calculate your debt-to-income ratio (DTI), which is a major factor in approval.
Tip: prequalification relies on the figures you state, so accuracy now prevents surprises at full underwriting. If your income varies or your home value is a guess, say so. Better to see a conservative estimate today than a revised one after you’ve started planning around it.
Step 4: Start Your Online Request with Duane Buziak
Go to FreePreQuals.com and open the request form. You’ll be asked for:
- Your contact details.
- The property address.
- Current loan information: balance, rate, and loan type.
- Your refinance goal from Step 1.
- Your estimated home value.
It takes only a few minutes with your documents beside you. If something on the form is unclear, call 804-212-8663 and ask before you guess.
Read the consent screen before you authorize anything. It should authorize a soft pull only. That is what makes this a no credit impact mortgage pre-qual rather than a standard application. If any screen mentions a hard inquiry, stop and ask why.
Check the property’s state as well. Duane Buziak is a broker licensed in Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, and Washington, DC. Coast2Coast Mortgage LLC, the company he works through, holds NMLS #376205. A broker arranges your loan through wholesale partners rather than funding it directly, which is why he can shop more than one program for you.
Troubleshooting: if your property is outside those licensed areas, Duane Buziak cannot originate the loan, and you’ll be told so plainly rather than led to expect coverage. If you’ve moved or own property in more than one state, submit the request for the property you plan to refinance.
Step 5: Authorize the NoTouch Credit Pull and Review Your Results
Once you consent, the NoTouch Credit Pull retrieves your score range and a tradeline summary: open accounts, balances, payment history. It records no hard inquiry on your credit file. That is what makes it possible to get no hard inquiry mortgage pre-approval-style guidance at the start rather than after you’ve already taken the hit.
Be clear about what you’re getting. A prequalification is an estimate based on the information you provided and a soft credit view. It is not a loan commitment, and terms can change once documents are verified. The same applies to any mortgage pre-approval without hard pull: it’s an early read, and the formal approval comes later.
How to read your results
Look for an estimated rate range, the resulting principal and interest payment, the loan programs you appear to fit, and, if you chose cash-out, an approximate amount available. Because Duane Buziak works as a broker with access to a wholesale network of 500+ lenders, results can span programs a single institution may not offer. The exact lenders and pricing available to you depend on your profile and the day, so ask which ones apply to your file.
Here is how the process generally compares. Timing and requirements vary by provider, so confirm specifics with each one:
| Feature | Duane Buziak / NoTouch Credit Pull | Typical National Lender | Typical Bank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit pull type | Soft pull only | Often a hard pull | Often a hard pull |
| Score impact | None | Possible small drop | Possible small drop |
| Time to pre-qual result | Often fast once your request is reviewed | Varies; often same day online | Varies; may take days |
| Access to programs | Broker network of 500+ wholesale lenders | Its own products | Its own products |
| FICO floor | Varies by program across many options | Usually one set of in-house minimums | Often stricter minimums |
Save your results. You’ll use them in the next step.
Step 6: Compare Offers and Run the Break-Even Math
When you have quotes, line them up using the same fields from the Loan Estimate, a standard form the CFPB explains here. Compare:
- Interest rate and APR (APR folds in some costs, so it reveals more than the rate alone).
- Discount points, if any.
- Lender fees and third-party fees.
- No-out-of-pocket closing options, where costs are handled without cash at the table.
Find out how those costs are handled. They may be rolled into your loan balance, or covered through a higher interest rate. Either way you pay for them over time, and the lowest rate does not always mean the lowest total cost.
Now repeat the break-even from Step 1 using real numbers. If actual costs are $7,200 and the true monthly savings are $180, break-even is 40 months, not 30. Decide whether you’ll hold the loan that long.
Warning: do not reset the clock without counting it. If you have 22 years left on your loan and refinance into a new 30-year term, you add eight years of payments. Even at a lower rate, that can add significant total interest. Ask for a 20-year or 25-year option, or keep your payment the same and let the lower rate shorten the payoff.
Finally, check your loan size against the 2026 conforming limits: $806,500 as the baseline and $1,249,125 in high-cost areas. Balances above your area’s limit generally need jumbo financing, which has its own pricing and guidelines.
Step 7: Move from Prequalification to Full Application and Rate Lock
Prequalification is not pre-approval. A full application requires verified documents and a hard credit pull, and that happens only when you decide to proceed. Everything before that point, including comparing programs, testing break-evens, and weighing cash-out amounts, costs your score nothing.
If you decide to move forward, the next question is timing your rate lock. Ask about:
- How many days the lock lasts, and what it costs to extend.
- Whether a float-down option exists if rates fall after you lock.
- What happens if closing slips past the lock date.
Rates and program rules change, so treat anything you read today as accurate only as of today and confirm current terms before you lock.
After the application, expect these steps:
- An appraisal, or in some cases a waiver, depending on program and loan details.
- Title work and a title search on the property.
- Underwriting review of your verified documents.
- A closing date and final figures to review before you sign.
With a refinance, you generally have a short right-of-rescission period on a primary residence after signing, so funds are not released instantly. Ask your closer about the exact timeline.
To move ahead, call Duane Buziak at 804-212-8663 or finish your request on FreePreQuals.com.
Your Refinance Checklist Before You Commit
Confirm these four items before anything else happens:
- Your goal is set, and you know which loan type fits it.
- Your documents are ready and your LTV and DTI are calculated.
- Your soft-pull results are saved.
- Your break-even is confirmed against real quotes.
Take the first step 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. Free Prequals by Duane Buziak is backed by 1,400+ five-star reviews.