Check your credit score before any lender does

Before you talk to a single bank or broker, check your own credit score first.

Why? Because every time a lender does a "hard" credit enquiry, it leaves a mark. Too many of those in a short period can actually lower your score and raise red flags.

You can check your own score for free (no impact on your score) through:

- Equifax — equifax.com.au

- Experian — experian.com.au

- illion — checkyourcredit.com.au

What to look for:

- Any defaults or missed payments

- Credit cards or loans you've forgotten about

- Errors that shouldn't be there (you can dispute these)

Give yourself time to clean things up before applying. Lenders notice.