I've seen more than one clean, approved loan nearly fall apart in the final week because a buyer did something that felt harmless. Here are the ones that come up most often.
Don't open new credit accounts
That store card at the checkout counter, the car loan for the new truck, the "interest free for 24 months" couch financing — all of it shows up on your credit report and changes your DTI. Lenders pull credit again right before closing. Anything new can force a re-underwrite, or in the worst case, a full reapproval.
Don't close old accounts either
The opposite also hurts. Closing a long-standing credit card shortens your credit history and raises your utilization, which can drop your score. If a loan officer tells you to leave your credit completely alone until closing, they mean completely.
Don't change jobs without talking to me first
A job change isn't automatically a deal-killer — but it often is if it happens at the wrong moment or involves a pay structure change. If you get a new job offer during your transaction, tell your loan officer before you accept. We can usually plan around it. We can't fix it after the fact.