Get the actual Loan Estimate and have someone run it against real wholesale pricing. A quote that beats the field by a wide margin almost always has an explanation, and you want it before the closing table, not at it. What we look for: rates all sit on a pricing scale, so a rate noticeably below the market with almost no fees is a math problem. That pricing costs real money that has to show up somewhere. When it does not, one of three things is usually true: the fees are hiding in another box on the estimate, the rate is not actually locked, or you are talking to a true portfolio lender (a bank or credit union lending its own deposits can price outside the normal secondary-market rules). The portfolio case can be completely legitimate, which is exactly why you verify instead of assuming. A few concrete tells: - Points you are paying without a clear reason, especially a low headline rate with a couple of points attached that nobody mentioned up front. We lean against paying points as a default, and an opening quote built on them is a flag by itself. - A rate that jumps late in escrow. Rate changes should be discussed proactively the whole way through, never sprung on you a month before closing. - A lender calling a required cost optional. Flood insurance, for example, is mandatory when the property sits in a FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area, the same way fire or auto coverage is required. A lender implying you can drop it to lower the payment is telling you something about that lender. Send us the Loan Estimate and we will tell you straight whether the numbers hold up.