Be Prepared. You'll probably be asked for more information and documentation after you submit your application, but before your loan is approved be prepared to document your income and assets. Answer any questions and fax documentation to your loan representative as soon as possible.
Refinancing can be the right move to improve your financial situation, but be careful. Making the wrong move can put you much worse off. Smart and simple choices will go a long way toward keeping you financially secure.
Many companies in this industry will do what ever they can to get away with charging you as much as they possibly can. Some of the ways they do this is not disclosing all the third party fees involved in a loan such as title insurance, appraisals, pre-paid tax and insurance escrows etc. It is important that you ask the loan officer you're speaking with about third party fees. If you don't they may not tell you and give you a good faith estimate that sounds fair, but at closing you'll find out that you have to pay a couple of thousand dollars more in fees you were unaware of. A good loan officer at a reputable company should have no problem disclosing all fees that pertain to your loan and should also make sure you understand what the fees are for.
Make sure that your original mortgage does not have a pre-payment penalty or early payoff penalty of any kind. Sometimes people will get into their mortgage with the mortgage having a pre-payment penalty and they will not even know about it. Pre-payment penalties usually range from 6 months to 3 years with a penalty for an early payoff. The penalty is usually about the amount of 6 months worth of your mortgage loan interest, but this varies. You would have to be able to have some significant payment and interest savings on your refinance loan to justify refinancing a mortgage loan with a pre-payment penalty.
You have a legal right to a good faith estimate. Get a copy of this document and go over it with a fine tooth comb, it will reveal where there is a real problem.
