Makes me think there’s some secret underwriter bingo game going on.
I’ve wondered the same thing, honestly. The hoops they make you jump through are wild sometimes. I remember faxing in a signature page once and the paper got jammed halfway through—came out with a big wrinkle down the middle and some weird shadow, but somehow that was “good enough.” Yet, like you said, the clean digital ones always get flagged.
Did you ever try mailing docs overnight instead of faxing? I found that FedEx-ing a stack with a handwritten note (“please don’t lose this!”) actually shaved days off my approval when we bought our place out in the sticks. Maybe it just made me feel proactive, but it seemed to help. Or maybe it’s just luck of the draw with whatever underwriter pulls your file...
Do you think there’s any logic behind their obsession with “wet ink,” or is it just habit at this point? Sometimes I wonder if they’re still using those old rolodexes too.
I’ve seen that too—sometimes a crumpled, barely legible fax gets the green light, but a pristine PDF triggers a week of back-and-forth. My guess is some lenders still have compliance checklists written in the ‘90s, and “wet ink” just never got updated. One thing I’ve found: if you can get your loan officer to double-check what the underwriter actually wants (not just what’s on their standard list), it can save a ton of hassle. Ever had a situation where you pushed back on a weird doc request and it actually worked?
Once, I got a request for a “certified” copy of a rural property’s well inspection—problem was, the only guy who could “certify” it was retired. I sent in the original scan and just wrote a note: “Inspector’s retired, this is as official as it gets.” Shockingly, it worked. Sometimes it’s just about showing you tried, not ticking their exact box.
Honestly, rural deals are always a bit of a wild card, right? I’ve had underwriters accept handwritten notes from old inspectors before—sometimes they just want to see you made the effort. Ever had them ask for a septic cert from a guy who’s been dead ten years?
Ever had them ask for a septic cert from a guy who’s been dead ten years?
That’s classic. I once had an underwriter demand a “current” well test, but the only guy who ever did them in that county retired in 1998. Ended up tracking down his nephew, who scribbled something on a napkin. Loan closed. Sometimes you just have to get creative—rural deals are never textbook.