Feeling relieved after my rate adjustment - anyone else surprised by their loan limits?

I hear you on the fine print - sometimes I feel like I need a magnifying glass just to spot all the “processing” and “administrative” fees. When I refinanced, I actually found a fee labeled “courier service,” which made me laugh since everything was digital... They did end up waiving it after I asked. Out of curiosity, did anyone else run into weird loan limits that didn’t match what they expected? My lender capped me lower than I thought, and it threw off my plans a bit.

Yeah, those random fees crack me up too - “courier service” for an email, really? As for loan limits, I ran into something similar last year. The number they approved was way below what their online calculator suggested. Apparently my side gig income “didn’t count” the same way, which made no sense to me. Had to tweak my plans and trim a few wants off the list... Not ideal, but I guess that’s how they keep us on our toes.

Apparently my side gig income “didn’t count” the same way, which made no sense to me.

That’s wild. I had a similar headache when I went through refinancing last fall. I’d been planning to use some freelance consulting income to bump up my numbers, but the lender basically shrugged and said it was “too new” to be reliable. Never mind that it’d been steady for over a year... Ended up qualifying for less than I expected, which forced me to rethink my renovation plans.

Honestly, the whole process made me super cautious about counting on anything outside of my main job. Did anyone else get hit with weird documentation requests? I swear, at one point they wanted bank statements from accounts I’d closed years ago. Made me wonder if I was missing something in the fine print or if they just like making us jump through hoops. Has anyone actually managed to get side hustle income counted without a ton of hassle?

I’d been planning to use some freelance consulting income to bump up my numbers, but the lender basically shrugged and said it was “too new” to be reliable.

Funny you mention the bank statements - had almost the exact same experience. They asked for docs from an old account I closed in 2018, and I’m still not sure why. Lenders can be super strict about “seasoning” income, especially side gigs. Even after two years of rental income, I’ve had underwriters ask for leases, checks, tax returns...the works. It’s frustrating because you’d think steady is steady, right? But yeah, I’ve learned to expect a lot of hoops and just over-document everything up front now.

Yeah, the “seasoning” thing drives me nuts. I’ve had lenders nitpick over deposits from months ago, or ask for explanations on transfers between my own accounts. It’s almost like they’re looking for reasons to say no sometimes. I get why they want a paper trail, but it can feel like overkill - especially when you’ve got years of rental income and still have to prove every dollar. My rule now is to keep everything super clean and avoid mixing personal and business funds. Makes things a bit smoother, but there’s always some new hoop to jump through...