Totally get what you mean about them grilling you over every little thing. The year-to-year swings are just reality for a lot of us. I had a lender ba...

Yeah, those “required” add-ons are almost never actually required. I once had a lender try to tack on a $400 “processing fee”—when I pushed back, sudd...

I’ve noticed the same thing—sometimes those fees are negotiable, sometimes not. I remember one closing where the “processing” fee was $400, and when I...

Yeah, I've seen the same thing lately. Enhanced Relief definitely seems pickier about credit history and debt ratios compared to HARP. Back when I ref...

I went through something similar a few years back. I waited about a year and a half after my bankruptcy, thinking I'd get a better deal if I saved mor...

That's been my experience too. When I bought my last place, it was an older property with some zoning quirks that made the big banks nervous. Ended up...

Couldn't agree more. Last time I refinanced, it felt like I was negotiating a hostage situation rather than just securing a decent rate. The lender ke...

Yeah, totally agree on knocking out those small projects early. When I moved into my place, the first thing I did was replace the locks too—no idea wh...

Had a similar experience when I refinanced last year. First lender was chill, second one grilled me about every Amazon purchase and random Venmo payme...

Yeah, pre-approval is a lifesaver. I remember spotting my "dream home" once, rushed to get everything sorted, and by the time I did, it had already go...

I've been there too—went with a lower down payment initially to keep cash handy, thinking it was the safer bet. Then my HVAC system died in the middle...