 TITLE: Is a Cash-Out Refinance a Good Idea? CONTENT: Check Your Credit Before Shopping for a Mortgage\n------------------------------------------------\nAs you're taking out a new mortgage, you're more likely to get approved for a cash-out refi with a good rate if you have good to excellent credit. Checking and tracking your credit could help you decide if a cash-out refi is a good idea right now, or if you want to focus on improving your credit to try at another point in the future. Experian offers free credit monitoring and score tracking, with alerts if there are any suspicious changes in your credit. END