Will using HELOC lower my credit score?

[Sean Salandy]

I am planning to use my HELOC to purchase a property. The plan is to then refinance the property once the seasoning period is over and then pay off the balance of the HELOC and do the process over again. My question is, if I use the HELOC to purchase the property and my balance is 75-100% of the credit line, will that lower my credit score to the point that I may not be able to refinance the newly purchased home?

[ND Eggen]

I can confirm that utilization is what matters for monthly credit score on the major 3 bureaus. 

The HELOC limit amount made no impact in my credit score. Once I drew on my line a little it still didn't matter. It wasn't until I nearly maxed out my HELOC line during a transaction that my score took a hit - like a CC line.

FWIW the bank also didn't care what my total HELOC cap was during underwriting. They just cared what my current draw amount and payment was at the time they pulled my tri-merge credit report - like a CC. Other banks and CUs may treat it differently during UWing.