---
title: What is a good faith estimate (GFE)?
description: A federally-mandated disclosure of all fees, formerly provided to buyers at the start of a transaction. The GFE was replaced by the Loan Estimate.
---

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# What is a good faith estimate (GFE)?

## A federally-mandated disclosure formerly provided to the homebuyer at the start of a real estate transaction.

The Good Faith Estimate (GFE) was a federally-mandated disclosure formerly provided to the homebuyer at the start of escrow (i.e., the beginning of a real estate transaction). 

**In an attempt to be more user-friendly, the GFE form was replaced by the [Loan Estimate](https://www.jvmlending.com/glossary/#loanestimatesometimesmistakenlyreferredtoasthe) (LE) and is no longer used to reflect initial fees.** Despite this fact, many Real Estate Agents still use the term “Good Faith Estimate” to refer to the LE.

Along with the similarly outdated HUD-1 Form (replaced by the [Closing Disclosure](https://www.jvmlending.com/glossary/#closingdisclosureorcd)) provided to the buyer at the close of escrow (i.e., the end of a real estate transaction), **these forms were originally intended to provide the buyer with a clear representation of all charged fees and any fee changes from start to finish.**

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