Totally feel your pain on this one—been there, done that, got the stress-induced gray hairs to prove it. A couple things I've learned the hard way:
- Double-check your own docs too. I once waited an extra week because my insurance agent misspelled my street name...seriously.
- Holidays can also slow things down big time. My refinance hit Thanksgiving week, and everyone vanished like leftover pie.
- Keep a sense of humor. It'll save your sanity. Eventually you'll laugh about it...maybe.
"Holidays can also slow things down big time. My refinance hit Thanksgiving week, and everyone vanished like leftover pie."
Haha, this hit home... I had a refinance drag on forever because it landed smack in the middle of Christmas and New Year's. Felt like the entire banking world decided to hibernate for two weeks. And yeah, checking docs is crucial—I once had a client whose appraisal got delayed because the lender mixed up unit numbers. Hang in there, it'll get sorted eventually... patience is definitely a virtue in refinancing.
Yep, holidays are notorious for slowing things down. A few things I've noticed over the years:
- Lenders and title companies often run skeleton crews around major holidays—so delays are pretty common.
- Double-checking docs is key; I've seen typos in addresses, loan amounts, even borrower names.
- Communication tends to drop off sharply during these periods... feels like everyone's mentally checked out already.
Hang tight, though. Once everyone's back from their turkey coma, things usually pick up again.
I remember refinancing a few years back around Christmas, and it felt like pulling teeth. At one point, the lender sent me docs with someone else's loan amount listed... talk about stressful. Makes me wonder, though—is it just holidays causing delays, or do certain lenders consistently drag their feet more than others? Curious if anyone's noticed patterns with specific companies or if it's mostly timing-related...
I've seen similar things happen, but honestly, I think it's less about timing and more about the lender you're dealing with. Some companies are just notorious for being disorganized or understaffed, especially bigger banks that handle thousands of applications at a time. I refinanced twice in the last five years—once with a big-name bank and once with a smaller local credit union—and the difference was night and day.
With the bigger bank, it was like I was constantly chasing them down. They lost paperwork, asked for the same documents multiple times, and even mixed up my income details with another borrower's (sounds a bit like your experience). It took nearly two months to close, and it wasn't even during the holidays. On the other hand, the credit union was smooth sailing. They were responsive, organized, and closed everything in under three weeks—even though it was around Thanksgiving.
From what I've gathered talking to others, bigger lenders often have more layers of bureaucracy, so things get lost or slowed down. Smaller lenders or local credit unions tend to be more streamlined, so you get quicker responses and fewer mistakes. Holidays might add a slight delay because of staffing or vacation schedules, but honestly, if a lender is organized, holidays shouldn't cause major issues.
Of course, everyone's mileage may vary... I've heard horror stories from friends who went with smaller lenders too. But generally speaking, if you're seeing consistent delays or mistakes, it's probably more about the lender's internal processes than timing alone.
