Definition of "Closing costs"

- What are the closing costs?

Closing costs are the fees and expenses paid during Closing. They are not included in the final purchase price of the property.

- How much are the closing costs?

Normally, the closing fees are somewhere between 2 to 5 percent of the final purchase price of the property.

- What is included in the closing costs?

That varies from state to state, the type of property in question and the type of loan the bank gave to the home buyer. But here is a list of expenses typically included:

Application fee
Appraisal
Credit report
Escrow fee
Home Owner Association’s Transfer Fee
Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)

And many more…

- Who pays the closing costs?

Typically the home buyer, but you can try to negotiate with the Home Seller. Some Home Sellers do accept to share or even assume this burden, most of the times deducting it from the final purchase price of the property. That's why Understanding the Housing Market on your Own is important. If you're in a Buyer's Market, a Home Seller will likely cede in order to sell his house once and for all.

 

Real Estate tips:

Take a look at our Glossary to find other terms and kick your real estate vocabulary up to a new level!

Also search through The Official Real Estate Agent Directory® to find a trustworthy agent to help you in all stages of a home sale.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Ambiguous contractual language that may result in an unsuspecting buyer of a real property incurring obligations or risks not clearly evident. ...

Amount still unpaid at a particular date on a loan or other financing agreement. ...

The term foreign direct investment (FDI) refers to the purchase of an interest in a company from an investor or company that is located outside of the borders of the company in which the ...

Originally strips of wood approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inch wide, 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick by approximately 4 ft. long which were nailed across the wall studs for the purpose of supporting ...

Also called a rollover mortgage. Provides a borrower with a fixed-rate mortgage that expires at a preestablished time, such as in four years. This permits the lender and borrower to ...

protective wall along a roof or below a terrace. ...

Precisely the optimum location for a retail business establishment in an urban central business district (CBD). A one-hundred-percent-location normally is a square block or intersection in ...

Legal dictate that must exist for property to be owned as joint tenants. ...

Heterogeneous (as opposed to homogenous) means diverse in nature applied to a place or object composed of separate and distinct parts. In other words, heterogeneous describes something that ...

Popular Real Estate Questions