Loan Estimate first, Closing Disclosure later
Within three business days of a complete application you should receive a Loan Estimate. At least three business days before consummation you should receive a Closing Disclosure. The second document is what you sign to. If a fee jumped, if the rate changed, if a credit disappeared, it should show up here—not in a hallway conversation at the title company.
Lines worth circling
Loan amount, interest rate, whether there is a prepayment penalty, projected payments including mortgage insurance, cash to close, and the comparison table against the Loan Estimate. Origination charges and discount points belong in Section A. Third-party fees (appraisal, title, recording) belong where they belong—do not let them get re-labeled to hide a markup.
Oregon and Washington are not the same closing
Excise tax, recording, and title customs differ across the Columbia. A Vancouver, Washington purchase does not close like a Happy Valley purchase. We work the numbers with the actual title company on the file instead of handing you a generic worksheet from another state.
If something is wrong
Say so before you sign. A corrected Closing Disclosure can restart the three-day clock. That is inconvenient. Signing a wrong one is worse. We review the CD with you. That is not a courtesy. It is the work.