Maybe you get a lender who’ll knock off a junk fee or match a competitor’s rate if you ask nicely, but the days of “charm gets you a secret handshake deal” are mostly gone.
I get what you’re saying, but I’ve actually had a couple lenders shave off $200-$300 in “processing” fees just because I pushed back in person. Online, it’s all take-it-or-leave-it. Still, the rates themselves are almost always locked in, like you said. Curious if anyone’s managed to get a better rate face-to-face lately, or is it really just about the closing costs now?
I totally get where you’re coming from. I had a similar experience—sat down with a lender and just asked if they could do anything about the “origination” fee, and they knocked off a couple hundred bucks. Didn’t budge on the rate though, like you said. Seems like the only wiggle room now is in those random fees, not the actual rate. Still, every bit helps, right? It’s kind of wild how much of this comes down to just asking in person, even if it’s just for a small break.
Yeah, that’s been my experience too—fees are where they’ll actually give a little. I’ve never had luck pushing on the rate itself, even when I’ve had competing offers in hand. Makes me wonder if online lenders are any more flexible with their “junk” fees or if it’s just as rigid as the big banks. Anyone ever get an online lender to budge on those? Or is it all just automated and take-it-or-leave-it?
Title: Comparing Online Vs. In-Person Mortgage Rate Quotes
I’ve actually tried haggling with an online lender before—honestly, it felt like arguing with a vending machine. The rates were locked in, but I did get them to shave off a couple hundred bucks from the origination fee after I sent over a competitor’s estimate. It wasn’t much, but hey, every bit helps. My sense is they’re less flexible than local banks, but if you push (and have proof), sometimes you’ll get a little movement on those “junk” fees. Just don’t expect miracles...
That’s interesting—kind of lines up with what I’ve heard about online lenders being a bit rigid. When you said,
it made me laugh but also made me wonder: did you notice any hidden fees pop up later in the process, or was everything pretty upfront? I’m super cautious about surprise costs, especially since I’ve never done this before. Also, did you feel like you missed out on any personal advice by not going in-person?“it felt like arguing with a vending machine,”
