What Every Homebuyer Should Know About Closing Costs

Monday, March 25, 2024

Primary Blog/What Every Homebuyer Should Know About Closing Costs

What Every Homebuyer Should Know About Closing Costs

Monday, March 25, 2024

Before making the decision to buy a home, it's important to plan for all the costs you’ll be responsible for. While you're busy saving for the down payment, don't forget you’ll want to prep for closing costs too.

Here’s some helpful information on what those costs are and how much you should budget for them.

What Are Closing Costs?

A recent article from Bankrate explains:

“Closing costs are the fees and expenses you must pay before becoming the legal owner of a house, condo or townhome . . . Closing costs vary depending on the purchase price of the home and how it’s being financed . . .”

Simply put, your closing costs are the additional fees and payments you have to make at closing. According to Freddie Mac, while they can vary by location and situation, closing costs typically include:

  • ​Government recording costs
  • ​Appraisal fees
  • ​Credit report fees
  • ​Lender origination fees
  • ​Title services
  • ​Tax service fees
  • ​Survey fees
  • ​Attorney fees
  • ​Underwriting Fees

How Much Are Closing Costs?

According to the same Freddie Mac article mentioned above, they’re typically between 2% and 5% of the total purchase price of your home. With that in mind, here’s how you can get an idea of what you’ll need to budget.

Let’s say you find a home you want to purchase at today’s median price of $384,500. Based on the 2-5% Freddie Mac estimate, your closing fees could be between roughly $7,690 and $19,225.

But keep in mind, if you’re in the market for a home above or below this price range, your closing costs will be higher or lower.

Make Sure You’re Prepared To Close

Freddie Mac provides great advice for homebuyers, saying:

“As you start your homebuying journey, take the time to get a sense of all costs involved – from your down payment to closing costs.”

The best way to do that is by partnering with a team of trusted real estate professionals. That gives you a group of experts to help you understand how much you’ll need to save and what you’ll want to be prepped for. It also means you have go-to resources for any questions that pop up along the way.

If any of these reasons resonate with you, maybe it’s time for you to buy too.

Bottom Line

Planning for the fees and payments you'll need to cover when you're closing on your home is important. Partnering with a local real estate professional can give you the guidance and confidence you need throughout the process.

customer1 png

Hi, I Am Kim Dorman

Long & Foster Realtor

As your real estate agent, I hope you’ll think of me as your trusted advisor, your practiced negotiator, your skilled house-hunter and your neighborhood expert. Whether you’re buying, selling, renting or just looking, I’ll diligently work for you every step of the way. My goal is to deliver a joyful, seamless experience at every phase of the home buying or selling journey.

Need Some Extra Help?

Check Out These Free Guides

TESTIMONIALS

Hear What Others Say

Kim Dorman, with Long and Foster Real Estate, went above and beyond in handling the recent sale of our home! She gave us lots of information on all the steps involved in selling, as well as excellent recommendations for contractors for any needed repairs. She was very knowledgeable about all the steps involved and very willing to explain the whole process. We would definitely recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell their home!

DONNA

We called Kim, once again, to help us find our home upon our return to the area. She was quickly responsive and strove to understand all of our desires for a new home, and advised us in all aspects of the search. She helped us to quickly find a home we love, answered or sought answers to any questions we came up with, and walked us through the entire process from the search to the closing. Kim is a brilliant advocate and is vastly experienced. We highly recommend her for any real estate need.

JACK

Being a first time home buyer, my boyfriend and I were a little nervous about the home-buying process. Kim right away made us feel at ease and was able to speak to us first about the process before going all in. She discussed the housing market and what we can expect.... We are very happy with Kim and would strongly recommend using her for buying or selling your home.

RACHEL

Kim has truly been a lifesaver for our family - we had a cross-country move in a very tight timeframe (during COVID-19, no less) and she helped us find a home that met our needs even with all of that working against us. She was very professional, extremely responsive, and thorough to ensure we found the right place for us. We really enjoyed working with her on a personal level, too! She is fantastic!

ALYCE

Kim is amazing! She is easy going and full of energy and helped us find our perfect home. She then made dealing with a very difficult seller seem effortless. I would definitely (and have) recommend her to family and friends. Don't hesitate to have Kim Dorman help you with buying or selling!

MATT

Kim puts her clients first and is willing to go the extra mile to assist them. She is very knowledgeable and very thorough in answering questions and providing information we weren't aware that we needed. She is very reliable and accessible, both by phone or email. We have already recommended her to others and will happily do so again. We will gladly work with her again when it comes time to sell our house.

NANCY

14-1-IMG png

Book a Free Discovery Call

Click The Button Below to submit your contact information. After you submit your information, you can book a FREE Discovery Call! I can't wait to get to know you and hear where you are at in your real estate journey!