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

The quality of life enjoyed by a person depending on factors such as spendable income, housing conditions, health and education. ...

Approach to valuing property based on its replacement cost. The cost of each major element of the property per square foot is added together and multiplied by the total space to estimate ...

Land development planning model theorizing that an urban area grows in rings expanding out from the central business district. The second ring is a shifting area having manufacturing and ...

Street having access only at one end and terminating with a circular turnaround area. The circular area permits automobiles to exit the street without having to use a home's driveway to ...

Residence units owned by the government and available to low income families at a nominal cost. ...

Circumstance where no people or contents occupy or are kept in a building for at least 60 consecutive days. The same stipulations apply to property coverages as found in unoccupancy. ...

Written statement of the lender that the buyer of real estate has paid-off the entire mortgage. ...

Founded in 1857 and located in Washington, DC, with over 54,000 members, throughout the United States, the AIA has 301 local groups in all 50 states. ...

Document between two or more parties indicating a need to take or not take a previous action taking place. For example, a bank may commit to make a loan dependent on a satisfactory credit ...

Popular Real Estate Questions