we settled on two prospective lenders and played them off of each other. between that, a good credit score and a safe loan (it's for less than half the value of the house)... we got lucky.
This part I don't understand.
Did you basically get a quote from one and say to the other "this is the term sheet from this vendor, can you beat it" then when they do go back to the first guy and do the same?
Or did you put them both in a cage and do this
The credit score is THE most important part to getting the best rates
Having a lot of equity is a big factor too
Some lenders have leeway on the closing costs, but rarely can do anything with the rates they get
There is always points, which there is rarely a good argument for, but if the lender paid some of the the points to get the rate down (but made that cost up in their closing costs)...maybe
Did one have a lower rate, but higher closing costs? You should do that math. Did you wrap the closing costs into the loan (so no out of pocket)
and because of that were the loans for the exact same amount?
Again...all this conjecture means nothing....that you have a signed doc with that rate on it...priceless and non-negotiable after the fact