Honestly, this is super helpful—wish I’d known to ask for the Loan Estimate right away. I get that some fees aren’t just made up, but it’s tough to tell which ones are real and which are just padded in. When I was shopping around, one lender tried to charge me a “document prep fee” twice—once from them, once from the title company. I pushed back and they dropped theirs, but only after I questioned it. Guess my takeaway is: don’t be afraid to ask, but yeah, not every charge is a scam. Still feels like a maze sometimes...
Yeah, the whole process can feel like a game of “spot the hidden fee.” I ran into something similar—got hit with an “admin review” charge that wasn’t on the initial estimate. After I asked for a breakdown, it magically disappeared. My rule now: always compare the Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure line by line. If something looks off, just flag it. Most legit fees are standard, but there’s definitely some padding if you don’t keep an eye out.
