I totally feel your pain on this one. When I bought my first place last year, I thought I'd done all my homework—spreadsheets, calculators, the whole nine yards. But then came closing day, and suddenly there were fees popping up like whack-a-moles. Seriously, who knew "document preparation" could cost so much? Did they print it on gold leaf paper or something?
One thing that helped me was asking the lender for a Loan Estimate upfront. They're supposed to give you one within three days of applying, and it breaks down most of the expected costs pretty clearly. It's not perfect—there were still a couple surprises—but at least it gave me a ballpark figure to brace myself for.
Also, don't be shy about grilling your loan officer with questions. Mine probably dreaded seeing my number pop up after a while, but hey... better annoying than broke, right?
Haha, your gold leaf paper comment cracked me up... I've definitely wondered the same thing. When I bought my first home, I thought I'd outsmarted the system by meticulously comparing lenders and rates. But then came closing day, and suddenly there was a "courier fee"—for emailing documents. Seriously? Did they hire a digital pigeon or something? Anyway, lesson learned: always double-check those sneaky line items and don't hesitate to push back a bit.
Haha, digital pigeon...that's gold. But seriously, makes me wonder—how many of these sneaky fees are just tests to see if we're paying attention? Has anyone successfully pushed back and had them removed? Curious to hear experiences.
I've wondered the same thing—sometimes it feels like they're just counting on us not noticing. I've pushed back a couple times, and surprisingly, they actually waived the fees...doesn't hurt to try, right?
Haha, love that you're pushing back—banks definitely count on us being too busy (or lazy...) to question things. I've seen clients save thousands just by politely challenging a fee or rate hike. Honestly, lenders are like cable companies: threaten to walk away, and suddenly they're your best friend offering discounts. Doesn't always work, but hey, worst-case scenario you're exactly where you started, right? Worth a shot every time.
