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

Way to determine the capitalization rate of income property for valuation purposes by weighting the rate of interest and source of financing in percentage terms. ...

Latin term meaning something in exchange for something else. For example, a person rushes through an order for another in return for having first choice in selecting a parcel of ...

(1) Supporting the joists of a floor with small pieces of wood. (2) Providing temporary financing such as a short-term loan, to a real estate developer before long-term financing can be ...

Appraisal method that examines current and future economic conditions in a particular location to help in deriving property values ...

See Board of Equalization. ...

Insects that destroy the support wood in the structure of a building. Termite inspection should be periodically performed to detect their existence. If an infestation is confirmed, the ...

Relationship between individuals or entities whereby rights given to one are returned in kind to the other. An example is where one person has the right to use facilities of another with ...

3D Printed Homes are basically homes that were printed via 3D Printers. Though semantically the phrase is pretty obvious and straightforward, there’s a lot we need to contextualize ...

State laws limiting the interest rate that can be charged to individuals borrowing money in that state. These laws affect all lenders in a state regardless of what federal or state agency ...

Popular Real Estate Questions