You can look at it as much as you want. You can use CreditKarma or credit.com It does not count against your credit report at all. In fact you are encouraged to keep an eye on it to insure there are no errors. And to catch identity theft earlier.
A cluster of "hard" credit inquires (as in you're actually looking for a loan) shows that you're probably "shopping" for the best deal available. Potential creditors just can't have their "customers" shopping for better rates. That might force them into real competition, something that's intolerable to them. You have to understand that big creditors are barely getting by, what with them "borrowing" the money at a percent or two fire sale rates, money that they themselves print out of thin air, and then loaning it out at double digit (sometimes triple digit when compounding is considered) interest rates; gotta feel sorry for them. (Yes, that's sarcasm.)
And those credit score services (like Credit Karma) that are being touted . . . they offer "soft" inquires that don't really mean anything. Generally speaking any similarities between the credit "scores" that they give you and the actual credit scores used by your potential creditors (and there's more than just (un)Fair Isaac) is purely coincidental.
This post was edited by Salt and Red Pepper at August 18, 2017 10:48 AM MDT