Mortgage fees- Is this reasonable?

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Topic Author
omega
Posts: 115
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2017 8:38 pm

Mortgage fees- Is this reasonable?

Post by omega »

Hello all,

First time home buyer here and currently looking to buy in NJ/NY area.

Our budget is around 700K with 20% downpayment (140K). Loan is about 560K, 4.25% interest for 30 year loan

We have a contacted a mortgage broker who quoted the following fees:

Origination costs: None

Third party fees:
Appraisal fee - 450
Credit report fee - 35
Flood plus tax service fee - 76
Attorney fee - 1200
Title/Owner policy - 3185
Clsg agent fee - 325
Survey (if applicable)- 795
Recording fee - 250
TOTAL - 6316

Escrows:
Ho ins and MI reserves - 200
Taxes- 2 to 3 mon - 4000
TOTAL -4200

Prepaids:
HO one year premium - 1200
Per Diem Interest 15 days - 979.08
Property Tax - 4000
TOTAL - 6178.08

Housing payment:
Principal & Interest - 2754.86
Property tax - 1333.33
HO INS - 100.00
TOTAL- 4188.20

Are we getting a good deal? Is there any item we could negotiate?

Thank you in advance for your time and comments.
Last edited by omega on Fri Feb 17, 2017 10:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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nps
Posts: 1630
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2014 9:18 am

Re: Mortgage fees- Is this reasonable?

Post by nps »

You could try getting out of escrow. I don't notice anything out of whack except attorney fee. Does NJ require an attorney for RE transactions?

As far as what's missing, I don't see title insurance but I'm sure your bank requires it and you probably want an owner's policy as well.
Cigarman
Posts: 480
Joined: Fri Jul 12, 2013 5:12 am

Re: Mortgage fees- Is this reasonable?

Post by Cigarman »

Have you looked a no closing cost loans? Rate is slightly higher but typically if you stay less than 5 years it's a better deal. I have done it multiple times in my current home, always dropping the rate with no cost. Just a thought.
JGoneRiding
Posts: 1973
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Re: Mortgage fees- Is this reasonable?

Post by JGoneRiding »

Cigarman wrote:Have you looked a no closing cost loans? Rate is slightly higher but typically if you stay less than 5 years it's a better deal. I have done it multiple times in my current home, always dropping the rate with no cost. Just a thought.
i think they are actually. All fees listed are third party, taxes, escrow, and pre pays they aren't paying the bank anything. Since it isn't a refi no matter what those fees have to be paid. The attorney fee can only be negotiated with them
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ResearchMed
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Re: Mortgage fees- Is this reasonable?

Post by ResearchMed »

omega wrote:
<snip>

Third party fees:
Appraisal fee - 450
Credit report fee - 35
Flood plus tax service fee - 76
Attorney fee - 1200
Clsg agent fee - 325
Survey (if applicable)- 795
Recording fee - 250
TOTAL - 6316

Escrows:
What am I missing such that the "Third party fees" add up to more than $6k?

RM
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Easy Rhino
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Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2007 11:13 am
Location: San Diego

Re: Mortgage fees- Is this reasonable?

Post by Easy Rhino »

True. Third party fees don't add up. Maybe that's where the mortgage broker makes their money. They gotta earn a living somehow

Does the quote list out items you can shop fire yourself?. For instance in CA I could pick my own title company (we don't use lawyers to close here)
nolesrule
Posts: 2631
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:59 am

Re: Mortgage fees- Is this reasonable?

Post by nolesrule »

I don't see Title Insurance anywhere. That's probably the difference in 3rd party fees.
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ejvyas
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Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2011 12:09 am
Location: Boston, MA

Re: Mortgage fees- Is this reasonable?

Post by ejvyas »

It looks good. I just compared it with our recent purchase.

You may want to ask if the attorney will help with P&S and other stuff before closing.
I did my own homeowners insurance for cheaper from outside
I did not do any escrow as I want to be involved in it.
Topic Author
omega
Posts: 115
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2017 8:38 pm

Re: Mortgage fees- Is this reasonable?

Post by omega »

Thank you all. It was my mistake skipping the title fee (3185) in the calculation and I now added it.

My broker told me that we would most likely getting the loan from Quicken.

I am thinking of checking with another agent/ bank for comparison purpose.
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BrandonBogle
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Re: Mortgage fees- Is this reasonable?

Post by BrandonBogle »

Lots of this will vary based on the specific lawyer and area norms, but it is higher than what I am estimated on a refinance I'm in the process of getting right now.

Third party fees:
Appraisal fee - 450 Op / 365 me / 300 me on prior loan (6 years ago)
Credit report fee - 35 Op / 10 me / 7.33 me prior
Flood plus tax service fee - 76 Op / 7 me / 7 me prior
Attorney fee - 1200 Op / 730 me / 350 prior
Title/Owner policy - 3185 Op / 356 me (@ standard rate, not reissue, will be less at closing) / 296 prior
Clsg agent fee - 325 Op / 100 me / combined in attorney fee prior
Survey (if applicable)- 795 Op / 0 me / 350 prior
Recording fee - 250 / 78 me / 121 prior

TOTAL - 6316 Op / 1646 me / 1431 prior

A big chunk of that is the Title Fee, which is very dependent on price. Beyond that, nothing stands out too much other than the cost of the attorney and closing agent fees, but that may be normal for your area.
lakpr
Posts: 11517
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2011 9:59 am

Re: Mortgage fees- Is this reasonable?

Post by lakpr »

Agreed with other posters above, that everything else except attorney fees looks reasonable. When I bought my home 7 years ago, my attorney charged me $600 and that includes the closing agent fee (the attorney picked his own closing agent).

I doubt that, even allowing for 7 years passage of time, real estate attorney fee would double.

If you want the name of the attorney, please PM me, he is in near Princeton, NJ.
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BrandonBogle
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Re: Mortgage fees- Is this reasonable?

Post by BrandonBogle »

Had my closing today. Here are my closing costs to help compare against:

Lender Origination/Application fee: $65
Appraisal: $350
Credit Report: $9.75
Flood Certification: $7.00
Tax Service Fee: $32.50
Title Insurance E-Filing Fee: $4.50
Attorney Fee: $800*
+ Prepaid interest
+ County recording fees
+ Title insurance @ state-mandated rates (so same for any title company in NC)



* Attorney fee is a flat fee that includes:
  • Lawyer fees
  • Notary fees
  • Closing Agent fees
  • Title exam
  • Title Search
  • Courier fees
  • Wiring fees
  • Doc Prep fees


So yes, shop around for the closing agent/attorney/title insurance (prep, not the policy itself) costs as others have previously said.
letsgobobby
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Grt2bOutdoors
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Location: New York

Re: Mortgage fees- Is this reasonable?

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

letsgobobby wrote:quicken is usually not the cheapest rates around.
Perhaps not the cheapest rate, but may be the easiest to close with. You can get a cheap rate, only to find the closing process is a complete nightmare.
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letsgobobby
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