Totally understand where you're coming from—been there myself. It's tough balancing cost savings with trustworthiness, but you're right, transparency is key. Good on you for turning it into a learning experience though... live and learn, I guess.
Yeah, transparency definitely helps, but honestly, nothing beats doing your own homework. I learned the hard way to double-check reviews and ask around before committing... saves a lot of headaches later.
Transparency and homework are great, but honestly, even the best reviews can sometimes mislead you. I once worked with a lender who had glowing recommendations online, but when it came down to it, their communication was terrible and delayed my client's project by weeks. Maybe it's less about reviews and more about gut feeling after a face-to-face meeting or call? Sometimes intuition picks up on red flags that reviews just don't show...
Totally agree on intuition being key. Reviews are helpful but limited—some lenders nail their initial interactions, then drop the ball later. I usually test responsiveness early with a couple of detailed questions. If they can't clearly explain stuff or take forever to reply at the start, it's usually downhill from there. Learned that one the hard way myself...
Yeah, intuition definitely helps, but I've found that asking for specifics about fees and hidden costs early on is a lifesaver. One lender I dealt with was super responsive at first, but when I asked about detailed breakdowns of closing costs, suddenly their replies got vague and slow... red flag right there. Trust your gut, but also push for clarity on the money side—saved me from a potentially costly mistake.
