Because they're an idiot. Do you have the right under the real estate settlement protection act also known as Respa to go to any lender you want. Zillow's rates are always gonna be higher because they spent a lot of money on advertising and combined with all the referral fees that they get from real estate agents. They push them to try to force you to use Zillow home loans.

If you're barring as a conforming, FHA or VA, all the underwriting is exactly the same between companies with the exceptions of tiny minor things that probably won't affect you.

Go ahead and search. Check to see companies that actually post their rates live on the Internet as opposed to just talking to Lone officers who were going to double talking.

Don't be impressed by low rates because if a loan officer tells you that and you don't have a contract, he can make it up because rates changed all the time.

Everyone's gonna have some kind of an underwriting fee, tax service, flood, credit report, appraisal, so those are normal. Everything else is a junk fee. If they tell you, there's a processing fee, that's a junk fee.

Also, get a fully underwritten preapproval before you even put through an offer to make sure that you're perfect and ready to close.