Good points there. I mean, convenience is tempting, especially after dealing with construction delays and endless decisions (been there, done that...). But when you're talking about mortgages, even a tiny difference in rates can snowball into serious money over 10 or 20 years. When we built our current place, I almost went with the builder's lender too—until I realized the savings from shopping around could cover my kitchen upgrade obsession. Priorities, right? Might be worth crunching some numbers yourself before committing.
Can't argue with crunching numbers, but builder lenders sometimes toss in perks like waived closing costs or upgrades—did you factor those into your math? Curious if anyone found those incentives actually outweighed a slightly higher rate...
Good point about the incentives—did you crunch the numbers on how long you'd need to stay in the home to break even? Sometimes those waived closing costs or upgrades look great upfront, but if you're planning to stick around for a while, a slightly lower rate from shopping around can actually save you more in the long run. I went through something similar a few years back... builder's lender had tempting perks, but after running the math, outside lenders still came out ahead. Curious what your break-even timeline looks like?
I get the math angle, but sometimes convenience counts for more than we think. When I built my place, I went with the builder's lender mostly for simplicity... less back-and-forth and fewer headaches. Sure, maybe I paid a bit more long-term, but honestly, zero regrets here.
Totally get where you're coming from. When I built my place, I shopped around a bit but ended up sticking with the builder's lender too. The convenience factor was huge—especially when you're juggling a million other decisions and deadlines. Sure, crunching numbers matters, but peace of mind counts for something too. Glad it worked out for you without regrets... that's the real win right there.
