PSA: that "free" gift card from your agent can blow up your closing costs, found out the hard way in Ohio | First Time Home Buyers - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Tbh the word "free" in real estate should come with like twelve asterisks and a lawyer standing next to it. Your agent probably felt super generous handing that card over, right up until the lender saw it on the paperwork and suddenly your rate lock was doing gymnastics. It counts as a seller credit or some kind of gift funds, which means it can mess with your loan terms, your taxes, and apparently your closing costs too. Nothing in this whole process is actually free, it's just a matter of when you find out what it really costs you. Sorry you had to learn that one the hard way in Ohio, but at least now the rest of us get to learn from your pain.