How much should closing costs be?

Most lenders are loath to provide a 2010 Good Faith Estimate because the document obligates them to accurately quote third partie fees. Third party fees (escrow, title, etc) have no bearing on who you use as a lender, yet because of the requirement for these costs to be accurately disclosed, most lenders want a complete application before giving up a 2010 GFE. If you ask for the costs as per the formula shown in my earlier post, most reputable lenders will give you the rate and terms without the rest of the baggage that comes with a Good Faith Estimate. That data is really all you need to know anyway when shopping for a loan.

My .02c
 
Here is a quote from a loan agent from yesterday:


LTV:80%
FICO : over 700
Loan amount : $417,000
COE:  45 days


Appraisal Fee: $390
Bank Fee:(underwriting fee ):  around $800
Process Fee: $450
Loan origination Fee:$1500 (  be compensated from bank rebate
Rate:  5.125%


Is it a good one?  Thank you



 
Day old quotes are only good if you can hop in your DeLorean and go back and capture those terms. Rates change hourly so it's hard to say where things are in comparison now to what was quoted then. On whole, it's seems to be a good rate and term quote. I'm nots ure what  ( be compensated from bank rebate) means. Is the Origination $4170 (1 point) but reduced to $1,500 due to a bank rebate for the rate of 5.125% or is it $1,500 but paid by the bank rebate so your effective cost is -0-?
 
On the same day,  I got two quotes from two different agents,  one is 5.25%, the other is 5.125% for 30 year fixed.  According to the context in the email,  I assume$1,500 will be paid by the bank rebate, my effective cost is 0.  I just emailed to get a comfirm.  However I have no ided who the bank rebate works.

sgip said:
Day old quotes are only good if you can hop in your DeLorean and go back and capture those terms. Rates change hourly so it's hard to say where things are in comparison now to what was quoted then. On whole, it's seems to be a good rate and term quote. I'm nots ure what  ( be compensated from bank rebate) means. Is the Origination $4170 (1 point) but reduced to $1,500 due to a bank rebate for the rate of 5.125% or is it $1,500 but paid by the bank rebate so your effective cost is -0-?
 
Here's the quote from my lender. i got it on Apr 8 with all of the credit scores 764+

Loan Amount                                        540k
Down Pmt                                            135k
Interest rate 0 point             5.35%
Origination Charge                 640
Flood Check Fee   20
Credit Report Fee                   21
Appraisal Fee 500
Closing/Escrow 2320
Recording                   140
Tax Service Fee     85
Est Monthly Home Ins 2000
Tax Proration 1443

Total GFE Closing cost 7169

Please let me know how it looks, is it reasonable.

I am thinking i can get a lower rate though rates r slowly going up.

SGIP, what do you think, can i get rates close to 5 and if possible let me know i am kind of close to lock the rates for 60 days.
 
octrends said:
Here's the quote from my lender. i got it on Apr 8 with all of the credit scores 764+

Loan Amount                                        540k
Down Pmt                                            135k
Interest rate 0 point             5.35%
Origination Charge                 640
Flood Check Fee   20
Credit Report Fee                   21
Appraisal Fee 500
Closing/Escrow 2320
Recording                   140
Tax Service Fee     85
Est Monthly Home Ins 2000
Tax Proration 1443

Total GFE Closing cost 7169

Please let me know how it looks, is it reasonable.

I am thinking i can get a lower rate though rates r slowly going up.

SGIP, what do you think, can i get rates close to 5 and if possible let me know i am kind of close to lock the rates for 60 days.
That homeowner's insurance number is way too high, but the rest of the number looks pretty good.
 
Remember when I am reviewing lender quotes, I have somewhat of a biased opinion. Since I'm in the biz, and that business isn't a "non-profit" organization, my input can be seen as an attempt to steal the deal away. Let's be candid about that impression up front. I can give general information, but specifics depend on a great deal more information than what come up in most posts.

Here's the 30,000 foot perspective:

Rates did not go up because the Fed stopped buying MBS's. Rates went up (about .125%) because of economic news.  Since last week the cost of borrowing has dropped a bit. If you re-shop around today, you will likely be able to improve your terms. I'd say you might see .125% in rate or .5 point in fee improvement from what you have now. The problem is that with a 60 day escrow at some time during the sale period rates will move again. Does that mean you then should try to get a third lender? If rates drop by .25% you shouldn't try and find another lender, but try to re-negotiate the terms of the lock.


The "best deal out there" does not exist. The "best deal at this time" does. Ensuring you close on time, as expected, with market competitive terms is all you can hope for. Finding the right lender is in some ways more important than saving $600 of closing fees, or .125% in rate. Am I encouraging you to overspend? No. I'm suggesting that (IMHO) if rates won't be dropping back under 4.75% for some time, your rate spread is pretty narrow - 5.375 to 4.875. If you can get 5.0% and miss 4.875% at the last second when you close, you've still closed at a great rate,  as expected, with minimal brain damage. That's in the long run the best deal you can get.

Cheers,
 
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