I’ve noticed the same thing—ask about one or two fees and you’ll get a quick answer, but start digging into every charge and suddenly they’re “checking with their supervisor” or just stop replying. I get wanting to be thorough, but at some point it almost feels like they expect you not to notice half the stuff on there. Has anyone actually gotten a fee removed just by questioning it, or do they usually just explain it away?
Yeah, I’ve actually had a “processing fee” knocked off once just by asking about it. They acted like it was a huge exception, but honestly, it felt like they just hoped I wouldn’t notice. It’s wild how many little charges sneak in there.
It’s honestly wild how much you can get knocked off just by questioning those fees. I had a “document prep” charge on my closing statement that was like $400, and when I asked what it was for, they just shrugged and said, “standard.” I pushed back a bit, and suddenly it was “negotiable.” Makes you wonder how many people just pay without realizing they could challenge it.
I get that everyone needs to make money, but some of these charges feel like they’re just banking on us being too overwhelmed to notice. It’s frustrating, but also kind of empowering once you realize you can push back. Good on you for catching it—more folks need to know it’s not rude or unreasonable to question every single line item. If we’re already spending hundreds of thousands, what’s wrong with making sure we’re not getting nickel-and-dimed?
It’s wild, right? I once had a “courier fee” for $150 on my closing docs—except the office was literally two blocks from my place. I joked that maybe they were hand-delivering it on a golden chariot. The agent just laughed and knocked it off. It’s like there’s a secret menu of fees, and if you ask, they’ll just take some off. Honestly, I tell clients: if you don’t understand a charge, ask. Worst case, you get an explanation. Best case, you save a few hundred bucks for your moving pizza fund.
That “secret menu” of fees is more common than people think. I see a lot of folks just accept whatever’s on the closing statement because it feels official, but half the time, some of those charges are negotiable or just plain unnecessary. Out of curiosity, has anyone ever tried pushing back on a lender origination fee or processing fee? Sometimes there’s wiggle room, but not always—depends on the lender and how competitive they want to be.
