Loan amount, interest rate, monthly principal & interest — and three yes/no boxes: can the amount increase, can the rate increase, is there a prepayment penalty or balloon payment.

Check: The three yes/no boxes are the trap-detectors. For a standard fixed-rate loan, all should say NO. Any YES deserves a written explanation before you go further.

Your estimated total monthly payment over time, including mortgage insurance and the escrow amount for taxes and homeowners insurance.

Check: Look at whether the payment CHANGES in later years — mortgage insurance dropping off, or an adjustable rate kicking in. The first-year number is not the whole story.

Two totals: estimated closing costs, and estimated cash to close (what you actually bring).

Check: Cash to close is the number to plan around — it includes your down payment, costs, and credits. If it is more cash than you have, this is the moment to ask about assistance, not closing week.

What the lender itself charges: origination fee, underwriting, and any points you are paying to lower the rate.

Check: These are the lender's own fees, so they are NOT allowed to increase at closing. If you are paying points, ask what the same loan costs with zero points — that is the honest way to see the trade.

Third-party services the lender picks: the appraisal, credit report, flood determination.

Check: Because the lender chose the provider, these also cannot increase at closing. An increase here is the lender's problem, not yours — say so.

Services where you may choose the provider — typically title services, settlement agent, survey, pest inspection.

Check: If you use a provider from the lender's list, these can rise at most about 10% in total by closing. If you pick your own provider off-list, the protection goes away — shop, but compare carefully.

Recording fees and transfer taxes. In MD, DC, VA, and CT, transfer and recordation taxes are a genuinely large cost — and some jurisdictions reduce them for first-time buyers.

Check: Transfer taxes cannot increase from the estimate. Ask your title company whether a first-time-buyer reduction applies where you are buying — it is the single most-missed discount in this region.

Homeowners insurance and property-tax months paid up front, plus per-day interest between closing and your first payment.

Check: These are honest estimates that move with your actual closing date and insurance choice. Per-diem interest shrinks if you close later in the month — one reason closing dates cluster there.

The bridge from total costs to the wire you send: down payment, deposit already paid, seller credits, lender credits, and any assistance.

Check: This is where down-payment assistance and seller credits must actually appear. If a program promised you funds and this table does not show them, stop and ask why.

Standard measures for comparing offers: the APR (rate including certain costs), the Total Interest Percentage, and total paid in five years.

Check: Use "In 5 Years" to compare lenders honestly — it captures both rate and fees on one line. A lower rate with high fees often loses to a slightly higher rate with low fees.