K
Karthik Ballakur
US
Review
Review of Better
K
Karthik Ballakur
US
Dec 10, 2020
Would recommend to refinance somewhere else
The efficiency of the marketing team, property appraisal and underwriting was impressive. However, the impressiveness stops there. I had utilized "better mortgage" as well as "better settlement services" for title. The closing was not smooth at all. The closing agent assigned was giving me scripted responses rather than based on my actual case (eg, when I asked how to make payment for the cash to close, got a scripted response that it will depend on my title company. My title company had already been finalized to better settlement services itself and we were awaiting for the final closing disclosure! I would have expected the agent to look at my case and respond based on their own title company's process! A little effort would have helped here.)
For the closing itself, I was provided a set of possible dates based on better mortgage and better settlement's feasibility and I was required to pick the date and time. When I finalized the date and time of closing, better.com was not able to provide me with the closing disclosure till the time of closing! Had to get it rescheduled. Even at that rescheduled time, the notary was given multiple versions of the closing disclosure rather than only the final version adding to confusion.
Finally, the funding for my existing mortgage payoff did not happen on the date that was provided by better.com itself. When contacted, the blame for the delay was pointed to the title company (which again is better settlement service which is a service offered in better.com). The title company when contacted responded next day that they received the funding from the lender (better mortgage) a day after the scheduled funding and the funding is in queue and put a disclaimer that they don't have timelines and they are a bit backed up, but will get to it asap. This was a bit stressful as I was not sure if I was supposed to stop my scheduled mortgage payment to my previous mortgage company nor was I sure what will happen if the funding delay is greater than a week as I did not get clarity from the closing agent.
Finally, the funding to my prior mortgage company happened with 3 days of delay.
Now I am charged interest for the same mortgage amount at two different places for those 3 days. Better told they would refund, when I had raised it during the delay of closing. Post that, they did not take any action and I had to follow up on it. Right now, they have not given me any clarity how or when it would be refunded!
Not sure if this is the usual head ache of refinancing at other mortgage companies. One thing for sure, better.com did not make refinancing easy. I see lot of people sharing positive experiences. At least, that was not the case with me nor will I use or recommend better.com to anyone else.
Receipt photo:
Date of experiance: Dec 10, 2020