Yeah, appraisal fees seem pretty set in stone. But I did manage to shave off some closing costs by casually mentioning another lender's better offer... suddenly they found some "wiggle room." Never hurts to drop a hint or two.
That's a clever move, but I'm curious—did you compare the fine print carefully? Sometimes lenders who quickly match or beat another offer might offset that "wiggle room" elsewhere, like in loan terms or prepayment penalties. I've seen clients get excited about upfront savings only to realize later they overlooked something important. Not saying that's your case, but did you double-check the details before jumping in?
Good point—I definitely took a close look at the fine print before pulling the trigger. Learned that lesson the hard way a few years back when I refinanced and got hit with a sneaky prepayment penalty I hadn't noticed. This time around, I made sure to compare everything side-by-side, not just the interest rates. Thankfully, no hidden surprises yet... but you're right, lenders can be pretty creative with their "wiggle room," haha.
True, lenders do have their tricks, but honestly, sometimes the fine print isn't the biggest issue. I've refinanced a couple times now, and what really got me wasn't hidden fees—it was timing. Even with careful comparison, if you jump in too early or wait too long, those rate differences can cost way more than any sneaky penalty. I'd argue that being patient and watching market trends closely is just as crucial as dissecting the paperwork... maybe even more so.
Totally get what you're saying about timing—it's like trying to jump into double dutch without tripping over your shoelaces. 😂 But honestly, I've found that even if you don't nail the timing perfectly, boosting your credit score beforehand can soften the blow. I bumped mine up a bit before refinancing last year, and it saved me way more than obsessively refreshing mortgage rate pages ever did...though I still did plenty of that too, lol.
