That’s a good point about the payoff statement—my last refi, I almost missed an extra day of interest because the closing got bumped by a weekend. Ended up having to wire a bit more at the last minute, which was annoying but not the end of the world. I’ve heard about the reissue rate for title insurance but never actually asked for it... have you had much luck getting that discount, or do most companies push back? I always feel like those fees are just baked in and not really negotiable, but maybe I’m just too quick to accept the line items as-is.
Curious if anyone’s managed to get the funding fee waived or reduced on a VA refi? I know it’s possible in some cases, like with certain disability ratings, but I haven’t met anyone who’s actually pulled it off. The numbers look nice on paper until you hit that line and realize it’s not going anywhere.
I’ve actually managed to get the reissue rate on title insurance once, but it took a bit of persistence. The first company flat out said no, but when I pushed back and showed them my previous policy, they relented. Seems hit or miss depending on the agent. As for the VA funding fee, I’ve only seen it waived for vets with a service-connected disability—never for anyone else. It’s a tough line item to negotiate away, unfortunately. Those closing costs always feel like a moving target…
Yeah, getting that reissue rate really does depend on who you talk to. I had to send a bunch of emails and even then, it felt like they were doing me a “favor.” As for the VA funding fee, I’ve heard the same—unless you’ve got that disability rating, it’s pretty much locked in. Closing costs are wild though…every time I think I’ve got them figured out, something new pops up.
Closing costs are wild though…every time I think I’ve got them figured out, something new pops up.
That’s the truth—closing costs are like a game of whack-a-mole. You think you’ve budgeted for everything, then suddenly there’s a random “courier fee” or something equally mysterious. On the funding fee, yeah, unless you’ve got that VA disability rating, it’s pretty much set in stone. Sometimes lenders will roll it into the loan, but then you’re paying interest on it...not always ideal. It’s worth double-checking if your lender can offer any flexibility on the reissue rate, but I agree, it often feels like pulling teeth.
Closing costs are wild though…every time I think I’ve got them figured out, something new pops up.
I hear you—when I refinanced last year, the “recording fee” caught me off guard. I’d already set aside extra for surprises, but somehow there’s always another line item. One thing that helped me was asking for a full itemized estimate upfront and then going through it line by line. It’s tedious, but I caught a couple of duplicate charges that way. Not fun, but worth the hassle.