The annual report for lender fees, state by state, is out. Is your state on the five most expensive or the five least expensive states in which to close a mortgage loan?
That’s an interesting question, but more important is how do you avoid paying those over-priced closing costs, no matter what state you are in?
It is my pleasure to tell you that I see Good Faith Estimates from all over the U.S., and from all types of lenders: banks, brokers, credit unions, and other direct mortgage lenders. None of my clients (and I expect that none of my book readers either) are paying the new higher fees stated in this report.
None! They’re too smart for that. They keep more of their cash in their own bank accounts and shell out less for inflated origination costs padded by junk fees.
Five Most Expensive States for Mortgage Fees
1) Texas: $2,280 average origination fee
2) Alaska: $2,195 origination fee
3) New York: $2,109 origination fee
4) Hawaii: $2,009 origination fee
5) Wisconsin: $2,035 origination fee
There is no reason to pay so much! This is approximately double what my clients are paying for origination in those states.
The most expensive states I see for origination are California and New York where my folks are paying about $1,200 on average. Who’s paying $2,280 in Texas? Some vulnerable folks who are being taken advantage of, that’s who. I know a good Texas lender that charges a flat fee of $900 and not a penny more.
Five Least Expensive States for Mortgage Fees
47) District of Columbia: $1,791
48) Ohio: $1,707
49) Missouri: $1,749
50) Tennessee: $1,746
51) Nevada: $1,570
Too high, all of them! I like to see the origination fee for these least expensive states at $800 or less.
How Do You Pay Less?
It’s not hard to pay less and keep more of your money in your own pocket. Simply use the loan shopping method in my books. It’s in Mortgage Rip-Offs and Money Savers and in Homebuyers Beware. Make three phone calls and ask one question. That’s it. The only change for 2014 is that instead of asking for a Good Faith Estimate, ask for a Cost Estimate, because lenders won’t give out a GFE unless they pull your credit report first, and you don’t want that.
Why Have Origination Fees Gone Up?
The report states that lender origination fees (including the admin. fee, application fee, processing fee, underwriting fee, doc prep fee, and miscellaneous junk fees) has increased by a 9% in the past year. Why?
There are two reasons.
1) New federal mortgage regulations are costing lenders more time, and time is money.
2) Borrowers have been lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that the government involvement in the mortgage industry has protected them from being ripped off (which is not true). Therefore, they neglect comparison shopping.
It’s not hard to save yourself $500 to $1,00 or even more. If you don’t want to or can’t take the time to read one of my books, then you can take advantage of my personal coaching service. If I don’t like your loan, I will find you a better one that I do like. Information is here. Watching the video testimonial is optional. Scroll down to read the details.
Only You Can Bring Down Lender Fees
When borrowers say no to the banks and mortgage companies with the high fees and choose to do their business with the good, reasonably priced lenders, they control the market. The over-priced lenders will be forced to lower their fees or starve. It’s that easy, and you have the power to do it.
If you know someone who is considering buying a home or refinancing, please do them a favor by passing along this information. Thank you.
To see my source for the annual Bankrate report, go here.
