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

Distance from the location of natural ground and water to the actual ground level. ...

Appraisal of a location before the purchase is made of it for potential environmental problems. ...

Rainwater pipe attached to a roof gutter channeling the run off down and away form the building. ...

Incapable of performing duties because of a lack of knowledge and training. The individual may not possess the qualifications and credentials. For example, a prospective buyer of real ...

Timeshare homes is the popular name given to the concept of fractional ownership in real estate, and, in fact, is a better term to explain its meaning.Why?Well, fractional ownership means ...

The right to deviate from the use of land prescribed by an existing zoning ordinance. ...

A statistical procedure using a body of measurable independent variables to compute an equation that successfully measures and forecasts the variance in another variable, the dependent ...

The right to allow livestock to graze on a certain range or grazing lands. Grazing rights can be obtained through a lease or by contractual agreement stipulating the period of time and the ...

When we’re talking about debt service, we refer to the amount of cash required to cover the debt’s repayment of both the interest and the principal for a certain period of time. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions