- Can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen “processing” or “courier” fees just disappear once someone questions them.
- Not every fee is negotiable, but a lot are padded or just... unnecessary.
- If a charge doesn’t make sense, ask for a breakdown. Sometimes even the person charging can’t explain it.
- It’s awkward, yeah, but you’re the one paying—might as well know what’s legit and what’s fluff.
- Seen folks save hundreds just by speaking up. Worth the minor discomfort, honestly.
Honestly, I’ve seen lenders tack on “doc prep” or “underwriting review” fees that are just... made up. Push back, and suddenly they’re “waived.” But not every cost is bogus—title insurance, for example, is legit and regulated. Curious, has anyone actually gotten a lender to drop or reduce the origination fee? That’s the one I see most folks just accept without a fight, but I’ve heard it’s sometimes negotiable if you ask at the right time.
ORIGINATION FEES—ARE THEY REALLY NEGOTIABLE?
You’re not wrong about some of those “processing” or “review” fees. They can be a bit... creative, and they do tend to disappear if you question them. But origination fees are a different animal. They’re usually the lender’s main way of getting paid for the work involved in setting up your loan, so they’re less likely to just waive it outright.
That said, I have seen people get them reduced—especially if they’re shopping around and have a competing offer in hand. Timing matters too; sometimes if you’re close to walking away, the lender will suddenly find some wiggle room. It’s definitely not guaranteed though, and sometimes pushing too hard on that fee can mean you end up with a slightly higher rate instead. Always worth asking, but I’d say go in knowing there’s a balance between saving on upfront costs and what you might pay over time.
Curious—did you ever get any pushback when you tried to negotiate? Sometimes lenders will act like it’s set in stone, but it’s rarely that simple...
I’ve definitely noticed that lenders treat origination fees like they’re set in stone, but I always wonder if that’s just part of their negotiation tactic. When I was shopping for my mortgage, I asked about reducing the origination fee and got a pretty firm “no” at first. But once I mentioned I was looking at another lender with a lower fee, suddenly they were open to “reviewing the numbers.” It didn’t disappear, but they knocked a few hundred off, which felt like a small win.
One thing that tripped me up was the trade-off you mentioned—sometimes if you push too hard on fees, they’ll just bump up the interest rate a bit. It’s like a shell game. I ended up running the numbers both ways, and sometimes paying a slightly higher fee upfront actually saved me more over the life of the loan compared to a lower fee with a higher rate. It’s kind of a headache, honestly.
Has anyone ever had a lender just flat-out refuse to budge at all? I always get the sense there’s at least a little wiggle room, but maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
I’ve run into that too—sometimes they just won’t budge, no matter what you say. When I refinanced last year, one lender flat-out refused to lower the origination fee, even after I showed them a competitor’s offer. I ended up walking away because it just didn’t feel right. It’s a hassle, but you’re smart to crunch the numbers both ways. Those little differences can add up over time, and it’s easy to get distracted by the upfront savings without seeing the bigger picture.
