Call your loan team before any big purchase, and know which risk you are taking: paying cash is about your cushion, paying on credit is about your debt ratio. Cash is the lower-risk path. Bank statements have a shelf life in underwriting (asset documents can generally be up to four months old as of the day you sign the note), and lenders can ask for updated statements late in the process, so a large sum leaving the account can prompt questions. The deciding factor is whether you are spending money the loan needs. If you need $50,000 to close and have $200,000 documented, buying furniture out of the surplus usually raises no problem once underwriting has signed off. If your funds to close are tight or not yet fully sourced, any withdrawal can open new questions. Credit is the riskier path. Lenders often run a credit refresh right before closing. Financing a couch, or even adding a few hundred to a thousand dollars on a card, raises your minimum monthly payments, and a debt-to-income ratio already near the ceiling can tip over on that alone, delaying or sinking the loan. So know your own strength. A borrower with a low debt ratio and more documented funds than needed has room to breathe; a tight file has none. Either way, a two-minute call to your lender before you swipe is a lot cheaper than re-qualifying at the closing table.