Buying a home can trigger unwanted solicitation. Here’s what you can do about it.

Published on Oct 13, 2022

Buying a home can trigger unwanted solicitation. Here’s what you can do about it.

Buying a home can be exciting and stressful – all in one. That’s why to help you get through it, you find a trusted real estate agent and mortgage consultant to guide you through the journey. But what may surprise you is that other lenders who you’ve never reached out to are suddenly clogging up your voicemail box and sneaking into your text messages. These are what we call “Trigger Leads,” and they begin to happen after your credit report has been reviewed by the lender with whom you are currently working.

What is a Trigger Lead?

One of the ways your mortgage lender will review you as an applicant is to pull a copy of your credit report from the major credit bureaus – Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. When this happens, the credit bureaus will often sell your contact information to other mortgage companies. For these other mortgage companies, you now become a lead, or a Trigger Lead as we call it because the lead was triggered by the pulling of your credit report.

Many among those that buy your information are less reputable organizations who may try to tempt you with low price offers that will cost you more in the long run. Dealing with these companies may also expose you to identity theft, fraud, and cause you unwanted stress and confusion during the homebuying process.  

What can you do about it?

Buying a home is a major life purchase. So, of course, you want to work with a lender you trust, and getting cold calls from other mortgage lenders you don’t know can be confusing and stressful. The good news is there are things you can do to stop these calls from coming in. Here are three things you can do now.

Use OptOutPrescreen.com

This is the official Consumer Credit Reporting Industry website to accept and process requests from consumers to Opt-in or Opt-out of firm offers of credit or insurance.

Click here to explore your Opt-Out options.

Take advantage of the National Do Not Call Registry.

As soon as you know you’re about to start the homebuying process, it’s a good idea to go online and put your name and phone number in the National Do Not Call Registry (you can even register your cell phone number). Once your number is on the list it can’t be removed unless you request it to be removed, or if the phone number is disconnected. This is a simple, fast way to try and stop trigger lead calls before they ever start.

Don’t forget about your mailing address.

Phone calls and texts are not the only ways another mortgage provider can reach out to you. You may also receive an influx of direct mail as the result of being a trigger lead. To prevent getting unsolicited direct mail from another mortgage lender, you’ll need to register DMAchoice to opt-out. You can register online or through mail, but just keep in mind there is a small fee associated with each option ($4 for digital registration or $5 for mail registration). Registration is good for 10 years.

Most important…speak with your home loan consultant.

The steps above will prevent you from receiving many offers but among them may be some that would be of interest to you. That is why we recommend that you speak with the mortgage professional with whom you originally placed your trust.  They can advise you if you are feeling overwhelmed or confused by any contact from other mortgage lenders you’re receiving. Your mortgage consultant will be able to advise you on how to avoid these unwanted calls and also clarify any questions that might be causing you confusion or uncertainty throughout your journey.

Click here to explore your Opt-Out options. 

 

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