$9 Purchase Threatens Buyer’s Dream of Homeownership

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Aspiring home buyer Cassidy Gard learned a tough lesson on making any financial moves on your way to buying a house. Gard posted a video on TikTok, which has since gone viral, that shares her emotional story of opening a Home Depot credit card to buy a can of paint for $9.

But that $9 purchase on a newly opened credit card has now jeopardized her ability to qualify for a mortgage. As she explains in the video, her credit plummeted more than 100 points after she opened the account back in May—a card she forgot she even opened.

“For a $9 can of paint, I am now probably not going to get a mortgage on a house,” Gard says on the video in tears. “This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.”

The video is a reminder to potential home buyers to watch their expenditures—of any amount—when trying to purchase a home.