O.k. another ?...why did you choose the agency that you went through?

calches · 08-03-2007, 05:22 PM

I have been doing TONS of research on agencies that vary by price...basically I have been looking at the ones that had the lower price...we ain't that rich...anyhow, I have found one that is in our ball park...the fee is $10500, with the home study and the legal fees extra...which I understand. I have some questions while we are filling out the apps...I think that you know what the questions are...that darn env. form? Anyhow, I have emailed/called and no one calls/emails me back. Well, today I got an email from one agency that I spoke with last year and wern't at the stage to start adoption and well, they are expensive $19500 for a bi-racial infant. Anyhow, I am going over this in my head and trying to figure out what I to do, and how to talk with dh about this. The one thing about adoption that we never did get was the fees and why they are so high. We don't want to have a loan for baby, and yes, we are saving, but there is no way that we have got even 40% that they want down saved...so question? Why did you choose the agency that you went with? And did the price affect that decision?

strawberree · 08-03-2007, 08:30 PM

we went to china..we choose the biggest and the one my brother used..local agency..we went to the one my brother used before..im not sure if i would use them again...good luck

mommavia · 08-04-2007, 02:32 AM

We adopted from Korea and used WACAP. We planned on getting a loan for our adoption, but in the end didn't need to. We were gifted financially by friends and family and I swear Pennies came from Heaven! The money was just there when we needed it. The fees were not all due at the same time so we didn't need the entire amount upfront. We paid a little at acceptance into the program, a little a few months later, and the rest at referral. It didn't make it seem so bad paying as we went along.

It was easy to narrow down the agency to use (there are just a few that place healthy Korean infants in NC, where we were living at the time) by asking them all the same questions. I made a list of things that I felt were important. The biggest things to me were communication and that they had worked with lots of military families before us. I wanted them to be forthcoming in their answers...not having to look things up and get back to me, being able to explain all the fees with every dollar accounted for, explain the process to me and estimated wait times. Every dollar should have a reason behind it and you should be able to know why.

I am assuming you are looking into a domestic adoption. Some questions to ask:
How many children did you place last year?
How long have you been placing children?
When are the fees due?
What do the fees cover? (homestudy, post placement visits, court filing...)
What is the estimated wait for a referral or match?
How soon after the birth will the child be placed?
When is the adoption finalized?

There is a great list of questions: http://theadoptionguide.com/process/...ency-questions

ETA:
Found this site in the Adoption Resources Sticky: http://www.adopting.org/choosagn.html

Many agencies have waiting chilren programs where fees are reduced and sometimes even eliminated. WACAP is well known for financial aid, you may want to look into their AA Infant Program (www.wacap.org).

Good luck!
Cynthia

Miss-Meme · 08-04-2007, 09:21 AM

For our adoption we ended up not using an agency but we signed with one about 5 years ago. And money had everything to do with it. I also knew someone who had used them. But the money sealed the deal with going with them. They went by your income so we knew that we were not going to pay way out of our ball park. Homestudy was included in the prices as was most of the legal part. I really think the only thing we would have had to pay would have been the medical if needed.

Fast forward 5 years to our adoption. We found a birthmother looking to place and we had to get a homestudy done and find a lawyer. Money was some of the reasoning for who we picked but we went with places that we knew someone who had just used them for their adoption that was a lot like ours. So we knew who things would go. It cost us less then $5000 everything. I've not sat down and added it all up yet.

tariana · 08-12-2007, 10:52 AM

We used an agency that charged $14,600... which is on the high side, I've since found out. It was the cheapest program that would accept us at the time (we hadn't been married long enough for most of them). Included in that fee is basically EVERYTHING. Not travel, not legal, not homestudy, but everything else. They pay all birthmother expenses and they don't ask for payment until placement (you actually have the baby in your arms).