You have negotiated an offer on your new Atlanta home, and you’re working with a lender. Your application has been accepted and (cross your fingers here) everything is looking good for closing on time. There’s so much to do between now and then. Let’s talk about the things you should NOT be doing.

• You should NOT be out making huge home purchases. In other words, don’t buy new appliances or furniture.
• You should NOT be making large, unexplained expenditures or deposits.
• You should NOT be making any late payments on your current credit accounts.
• You should NOT be applying for a credit card at your favorite furniture store.
• Basically, you should NOT be messing with your credit.

Lenders look at your credit when you apply for a loan and again before the loan closes. They will know what you’ve been up to in the interim.

So if you can’t go out and buy all the new things you want for you new home, what should you do instead? Well, there’s the packing to be done. Or window shopping. Or you might even check out the

Equifax Personal Finance Blog. It has information you can use as you purchase homeowner’s insurance, set up your new household budget and more. And a little Web surfing won’t hurt your credit.