Charges Too?

Q: We've had a 70+ day nightmare with the mortgage broker we got pre-approved with and tonight I find out that my brother (located in another state) was able to change mortgage lenders in the middle of processing a loan due to the initial lender failing to complete paperwork in a timely basis. He stated all his VA paperwork was transferable and none of the fees would be due until he actually closed. Does anyone know if we can change to a new mortgage broker in the state New Jersey without incurring excessive extra charges too? We should have closed on July 16th and we are now on our 4th tentatively schedule closing date of August 8th, and it appears that the mortgage broker still won't be ready in time for that either. I'll call around to a few banks tomorrow, but it would be nice to know if there is a chance this can be done. I'd ask my realtor, but he's proven over and over that he is totally incompetent.

A: - I don't know about New Jersey laws, but as for the VA paperwork, that is true. A lender experiened with VA will have no trouble having the changes made. - Well, I didn't use a lawyer when I bought my first house a couple of months ago. Of course, I am educated and I did read the purchase contract word for word well in advance

of the purchase. I also borrowed a Nolo Press book from the public library that explained the contract in intricate detail. I agree that this person sounds a little "out of the loop" in his home purchase, but assuming you do the research and the logwork, I see no reason at all why you need the services of a lawyer when purchasing a house, unless of course your state demands that you have one. Yes, it is the biggest purchase of my life, and in my case, it binds me for 15 years, but the process was so assembly line feeling, and the contracts used were so formulaic, that I think a lawyer would have been overkill. Not to mention an arrogant and expensive nuisance