A soft pull is a glance, pre-qualification checks, your own score checks, background screening. It never affects your score. A hard pull is a formal application for credit and typically costs a few points for a few months. The full guide covers the rate-shopping windows (multiple auto or student-refi pulls within 14–45 days count as one), how many points a hard inquiry really costs (less than folklore says, more than zero), and why AcquireLender's matching uses no pull of any kind, self-reported ranges only, so the only hard inquiry in your journey is the one you choose, at the lender you choose.

What the full guide covers

• What counts as soft vs. hard
• The real point cost of a hard inquiry
• Rate-shopping windows by loan type
• Pre-qualification vs. application
• How AcquireLender matching stays at zero pulls

The full guide is publishing soon. The short version above is accurate and current, and the concierge already knows everything in it.