The short answer to this is no, there should be no charges to you other than what has been outlined on the Good Faith Estimate. That being said, the Good Faith is an estimate, and from time to time there may be changes to the loan from application to closing. This would be the case in a situation where an appraisal comes in much lower than expected, and causes a change to the terms of the loan. If this happened, your lender/bank, etc is required to re-disclose the change to you on a new Good Faith Estimate. There should NEVER be a case where you are unaware of a charge that has simply appeared at the time of closing. Everything needs to be disclosed prior to going to the closing table, whether through the initial GFE or through an updated one once terms have changed.

It is however important to note that the document is an estimate. Most lenders will estimate items on the high side so that in the end they are lower than what is on your settlement statement at close.

Lastly, there should never be any fee paid for financing paid outside of closing that is not reflected on your loan documents. It is customary in many areas to either pay an application fee, or pay for the appraisal out of pocket. If this is the case, it will still be noted on your Good Faith Estimate, it will simply show as Paid outside of closing by borrower (POCB). This shows that a fee has been paid, separate of the closing, but is being accounted for in the transaction. If you are ever asked to pay a fee to a Loan Officer, Lender, Title Company, Closer, Escrow Officer Etc, and there is no documentation either on a Good Faith Estimate or a settlement statement, I would question the fee and get a second opinion immediately.

As one last caveat, a Good Faith Estimate applies to financing and a mortgage loan. If you obtain additional services that are separate from your financing, they are not covered by a Good Faith Estimate. This would include a home inspection, construction or remodeling estimates, a home warranty, etc. These are not items associated with obtaining a loan, and would not be required by a lender, therefore they have no bearing on a Good Faith Estimate.

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That answer would depend on who gave you the good faith estimate.  If your lender gave you the estimate, they are only estimating the fees of the other parties involved with the transaction.  The lender fees should be accurate.  But a lender may not know the exact attorney fee (if an attorney is involved), or if an agent is charging a seperate fee. 

A responsible loan officer will consult with the agent involved to make sure they know all the fees involved.  But a good faith estimate is truely only an estimate.  An estimate is only as good as the person filling it out.  I would suggest getting an estimate from the lender and your agent and comparing the two.  Use the lenders estimate for their charges, and use the agents copy for the real estate related fees.  In the end you should have a reasonable estimate.  But sure, every transaction is different and fees will change.

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Generally no but this could vary from state to state. In my state, NY, the borrower is required to pay the bank attorney fee. On our standard estimates, we do not disclose the borrower's attorney fee. One would not necessarily use an attorney for a refinance but would on a purchase to assist with the contract and title work.

In a more general sense, there are two things that most purchasers can be blind sided by. Most often, you will have an inspection of the subject property done by a professional. This is not part of the mortgage process and therefore, not included on an estimate.

In addition, if you are buying a home that uses oil or propane, you will have to reimburse the seller for the market value of the fuel in the tank.

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