Paying off debt before pre approval
My wife and I are looking to purchase a home within the next few months. We have a combined income of around $120k-$130k and are looking at houses around the $300k-$350k range. I currently have $10,750 in credit card debt, $9300 in personal loans, $550 in student loans, and $11,282 in car loans for a grand total of $31,910. I have $23,000 to pay off as much as possible. I plan on paying off all of my credit cards but do I pay off all of the personal loans and student loans? I fear paying the personal loans and student loans will negatively impact my score and potentially harm our mortgage approval. Would it be better to leave the personal loans open and pay them off after closing or just do it all now to lower overall DTI ratio?
Posted Dec 1, 2025, 4:15 AM UTC