If you are getting ready to close on a loan for a house, keep a look out for those charges in the closing statement that are negotiable. Not all of them are, but insiders know the items that are up for haggling. Aubrey Clark points out how to save money by finding the most obvious places to negotiate. When you are working with your lender, they all use a standard form called a "good faith estimate". This form has numbered sections that correspond the various fees paid by buyers and sellers. The place to look at is the section numbered 800...
Some items in there are legitimate, like the origination, appraisal, discount, and credit report fee. You can try and negotiate there, but the charges are pretty standard, and you aren't likeley to have much luck. However, other items numbered 805, 806, 807, and 808 are mostly to generate more profit, and are opportunities for you to negotiate. Those sections are outlined in the image below:
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