There is no validity window for a soft pull, because a soft pull alone can never be used to issue credit. A soft pull lets a lender see your payment history and debts (on one, two, or three bureaus) without adding an inquiry to your report or affecting your score. What matters is what happens next: - Some lenders can upgrade a soft pull to a hard pull as you get close to closing. The upgraded report then follows the normal hard-pull timeline, generally good for about 120 days before it must be re-pulled. - If a lender cannot upgrade it, they run a fresh soft pull or go straight to a hard pull, because every loan eventually needs a hard pull before it closes. Soft pulls have a real time and place, mostly for someone six months or more out who wants honest guidance without touching the file. If you are buying within about 90 days, start with the hard pull and get fully verified numbers. Per the CFPB, multiple mortgage inquiries within roughly a 45-day shopping window count as a single inquiry, so the real risk is stringing pulls out over several months. The number of pulls inside that window costs you almost nothing.