Times are difficult enough, without wasting your money. I urge clients who call me looking for assistance in helping them with the refinancing of their mortgage to shop around. We give them the names of 3-4 lenders who we work with and who we believe are very competitive with their rates and closing costs. The few minutes it takes to call around, can save them thousands of dollars.
Most people do not realize that every time they allow a potential lender to "pull" their credit, that it in fact has a negative effect and will lower their credit score. So only after you have decided on which lender you are going to use, you then allow them to pull your credit.
My office covers the entire state of Massachusetts and we travel to the Borrower's home if that is more convenient. Borrowers should ask their loan officers if they can choose their own closing attorney. If they tell you "no", then you should look for another lender. The Borrower always ends up paying for the Closing Attorney, so why shouldn't the Borrower be able to choose which one it will be. Many lenders today try to use what are called Settlement Service companies. They are for the most part out of state companies, who the Borrower has no control over, as compared to an Attorney who you select.