Credit cards & real estate investing question

[Bobberth]

I've become interested in credit card churning for the perks and a way to increase our travel for free/low cost. What has kept me away from this so far is that I am actively investing in real estate and I want to make sure my credit score stays healthy. There is a chance at nearly any point in time that I could need to apply for a new real estate loan in the next few months so my continuous score does matter. I have a short sale being worked right now that if it goes through, I will apply for a new loan within 6 months from now. How big of an effect does credit card churning have on your credit score? For how long? I know most people's credit score really only matters at a handful of moments in their life where I feel I need to have mine on it's 'best behavior' continuously because I never know when the next deal will pop up and I need a loan. Between repairs, rehabs and insurance, meeting any minimum spend shouldn't be a problem and I should start taking advantage of churning opportunities but continuing to invest in real estate is much more important in the long run.

Scaled back question: My bank has a reward card that pays more than my only card right now. If I apply for that for the higher rewards (no brainer) how will that affect my score when I hopefully do refinance that short sale within 6 months with just one new card instead of churning?

Thank you. I know there are many churning threads out there but didn't find any related to real estate investing in my search.

[rockstache]

I haven't done any real estate investing and my churns are quite small (think 1-2 cards per month), but my score has so far gone up by 10 points since February when I started. I know that's not exactly what you are asking but hope it helps as a data point.

[arebelspy]

It may have a temporary drop due to the increased inquiries and shorter average length of credit, but that also can be offset by higher limits leading to a lower utilization.

After a short period, your score should rise, not fall.  6 months after churning it should be higher, on average.