If both you and the seller are getting title insurance, you can save by using the same title insurance firm. The cost will be lower since the insuror researches the property only once for both of you. This will ensure that taxes and insurance premiums on the property are paid on time. Be sure to ask the lender what escrow payments will be required at closing. It is important to review the estimate of closing costs and to ask questions about fees that seem unfamiliar.
Lenders differ and can get creative when it comes to other types of charges.
The same goes for payments to local governments, such as documentation stamps and recording fees. A bank or mortgage company may be willing to drop some of the fees if you opt out of a service. For instance, they may overnight documents back and forth for faster approval. If you are not in a hurry, you can ask that the documents be sent by regular mail and the overnight charges be dropped. Most mortgage programs include them, but you should be able to negotiate them down or eliminate them.