Honestly, I’m starting to think you have to treat every line like it’s negotiable, even if they say it’s not.
That’s exactly it. First time I bought, I just assumed the fees were set in stone—turns out, half of them are “optional” if you ask the right way. The courier fee thing always cracks me up... like, are they sending my docs by carrier pigeon? I’ve even seen “email fees” before. It does make you wonder how many folks just pay without a second glance. Kind of wild what they try to sneak in.
You’re spot on about the “optional” nature of so many of these fees. I’ve run into the infamous “processing fee” more times than I can count, and it’s amazing what disappears after a little pushback. That said, some lenders will dig in their heels, but it never hurts to ask. It’s wild how much is just tacked on because people don’t question it. The email fee one always gets me too... like, what year is this?
It really is wild how many of these fees are negotiable, or just plain unnecessary. I’ve seen buyers get charged “courier fees” for documents that were sent over email—talk about outdated. Still, I’d caution folks not to assume every fee can be waived. Some lenders are more flexible than others, and there’s a risk of losing out on a good rate if you push too hard or walk away over a small charge.
That said, it never hurts to ask for an itemized list and question anything that doesn’t make sense. I’ve had clients save hundreds just by asking what a “document prep fee” actually covers. Sometimes it’s legit, sometimes it’s just padding. The key is to approach it politely but firmly. Most lenders want your business and will work with you if you’re reasonable.
The email fee still cracks me up... You’d think by 2025 we’d have moved past that one, but here we are.
Honestly, I get where you’re coming from, but I don’t think it’s always as simple as just asking for a fee to be removed. Some lenders bake certain costs into their structure, and if you push back too hard on those, they might just adjust something else or even bump up your rate a bit to compensate. I’ve seen buyers get nickel-and-dimed after negotiating one fee off the table. It’s worth questioning every line item, but sometimes “junk fees” are just relabeled somewhere else if the lender isn’t transparent. The key is knowing which fees are truly negotiable versus which ones are just going to reappear with a different name.
Totally agree—some fees are just part of the package, and lenders can get creative with how they present them. I’ve seen clients get a “processing fee” knocked off, only to see a “document prep” charge pop up instead. The trick is to compare the full loan estimate from a couple different lenders, not just focus on one fee. Sometimes it’s less about getting every single fee removed and more about making sure the overall numbers make sense for your budget. And yeah, if you push too hard, they might just nudge the rate up a hair... it’s a balancing act for sure.
