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

Dehydrated gypsum that is mixed with water to form a rapidly setting material. Plaster of paris sets too rapidly to be practical for most building applications, but it is useful for ...

The definition of a property brief is a document including the summarization of the attributes and characteristics of the property. Officially issued legal records are supposed to include ...

Just to be clear: an Open house is not when you invite friends over to meet your new house. At least not in the real estate world.When you hear someone talking about an Open House, they ...

Residing in a structure that the individual owns. ...

Net operating income (NOI) of property relative to its market value. If rental income property worth $1,000,000 results in NOI of $100,000, the overall return is 10%. NOI compared to ...

The selling of a parcel of land whereby the original owner agrees to immediately leaseback the property. The advantage of the land sale-leaseback in that the original property owner can ...

When it comes to the subsurface rights definition, the meaning needs to be defined from the US perspective as these rights are not a default elsewhere on the planet. In general, in the US, ...

Regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) establishing the criteria to avoid a private offering. For example, John wants to sell shares in an apartment house to several ...

Person leaving from work to spend time in leisure activities. pay in full the balance on a debt either at or before the maturity date. Penalties may be assessed on prepaying a mortgage. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions