<prompt> Human: Hello,My wife and I recently had an accepted offer on the purchase of a new home in Seattle. We worked with an independent mortgage company fairway when we submitted the offer to get preapproved for a mortgage. They were recommended to us by our broker and had good reviews online when we looked them up.The price of the home is 700,000. We are putting 20 down, have combined assets of 230,000 and combined income of 240,000 and both have excellent credit, 750. We are looking for a 30 year fixed.Our mortgage broker has been frustratingly vague about rates up to this point, talking about daily fluctuations and just saying that their offer will be competitive. When receiving disclosure documentation the interest rate was listed as 5.25 which seems really high. I know interest rates have gone up in the last few months, but when receiving quotes from other companies they were in the 4.7-5 range. Our broker tried to reassure us that those are bait and switch type deals where they will list at certain rates but when they pull credit and get all the financial details the rates go up.When speaking with our real estate agent they enthusiastically encouraged us to go with our existing broker, too enthusiastic, to the point where I wonder if they are receiving some sort of kickback.At this point we are 3 weeks away from closing, I dont even know if we can start this process over again and close in time.How do I know if I am getting a good deal?Are there good ways to calculate what a good rate is based on current market rates and our financial details?Should I worry about fielding too many offers from banks if they are going to pull my credit report each time?At what point in the process do we lock in pricing and a rate?Is it too late to consider other options considering the immanent closing?Is there any reason to suspect that our realtor may have an ulterior motive with her advice or would any sort of kickback be illegal?Thanks for any responses,Happy to reply with further details if necessary.Update:When I told my broker that I was shopping around and had a better rate in hand this was there response:When I asked about other competing rates that I have in hand this was my brokers response:Wanting the lowest rate you can find is totally understandable, and I appreciate that youve done some due diligence to make sure Im competitive. Consumers are trained to focus on rate. While rate is an important consideration, equally important in my view is partnering with Realtors to help our clients get their offer accepted, speed of execution to help your offer stand out, and also to ensure a smooth, timely close with minimal stress. Mortgages are just like most products ...we often get what we pay for. Lenders that have below market rates dont have access to different money sources, they are just subsidizing the rate to compensate for operational deficiencies. By that, I mean they are trying to entice consumers with rate, due to longer turn times, along with much less communication. Its a very transactional process for these lenders, but its how they are built Chase included. I bank at Chase, and so I called them today and shared your same scenario, and they are quoting lower rates. However and this is key, they are quoting 35 days to close. I asked if they could expedite that and they said if they have EVERYTHING needed within 24 hours, they MIGHT be able to close in 30 days. We are currently 23 days away from closing. To help you get a sense of where rates are for most local, reputable lenders, Ive completed rate quotes at BECU and Guaranteed Rate. Its unlikely either could close in the time needed, but checking their rates gives us a good sample for comparison.No movement on the pricing though :  <response>: Your broker is trying to screw you. Go get a quote elsewhere. 