If you plan to apply for a mortgage in the near future, it’s ideal that you get that out of the way before carrying out a balance transfer. This is because applying for a new credit card can hurt your credit score through a hard inquiry on your credit report and by bringing down the average age of your credit accounts. When applying for a mortgage, the higher your credit score, the better the interest rate you stand to get. Besides, even a slight difference in credit scores may lead to a mortgage application being denied.