"Seems like it really depends on who you're working with and maybe even luck of the draw..."
Haha, seriously, this is spot-on. When I did my refi through a similar program last year, it felt like playing lender roulette:
- Paperwork was straightforward enough, but underwriting was a black hole. Sent docs in, waited... waited some more... then got asked for the same docs again. 🙄
- My brother-in-law, on the other hand, sailed through his refi in about three weeks flat. Same program, different lender—go figure.
- Honestly, I think it comes down to how organized (or overwhelmed) the lender's underwriting team is at that exact moment. Timing really is everything.
- Also noticed that smaller lenders sometimes move quicker—maybe fewer layers of bureaucracy?
Either way, patience and a sense of humor definitely help. Good luck!
I had a similar experience when refinancing my own home last year—one client breezed through in under a month, while mine dragged on for nearly two. Definitely seems like timing and lender workload play a big role... patience is key.
Had a similar scenario with a client recently—everything seemed straightforward, but then the appraisal got delayed and threw off the whole timeline. Makes me wonder, have you noticed appraisals causing more delays lately, or is it mostly lender backlog?
I've definitely noticed appraisal delays creeping up lately, but honestly, it seems more lender-specific than anything else. Had one deal recently where the appraisal was done quickly, but the lender sat on it for almost two weeks before moving forward. Frustrating for sure... Hang in there though, these things usually smooth out eventually. Seems like patience is becoming a bigger part of the game these days.
Yeah, patience is definitely becoming the unofficial requirement these days, haha. Had a friend recently who waited forever for an appraisal only to find out the lender misplaced some paperwork... classic. Curious though, anyone noticing if certain lenders handle HARP refis quicker than others, or is it just luck of the draw lately? Seems kinda random from what I've seen.
