When preparing for a new home purchase, it’s crucial to plan for the average closing costs for buyer hopefuls on a budget. Closing costs are made up of various service charges associated with the entire home buying process, including appraisals and title paperwork. Because closing costs can add up to thousands of dollars, it’s helpful to prepare for the expense.
Here are some of the most common types of closing costs associated with buying a new home:
Appraisal fees cover the cost of a professional home appraisal to determine the value of the property. This cost can depend on the size of your home, but generally comes to somewhere between $300 and $400.
Professional home inspection fees usually cost a few hundred dollars. While inspections are technically an optional part of the home buying process, most buyers require them to find out if there are any major issues with a home before buying.
Mortgage lenders can charge an origination fee for creating the loan itself. This closing cost can vary from one lender to the next, but frequently comes to around 1% of the amount of the mortgage loan.
The title for your new home needs to be examined for any possible issues such as tax liens. The fee for a title search is typically between $400 and $500 paid to your mortgage lender.
Title insurance is required by lenders to cover the cost of any issues discovered with the property title. Similar to mortgage insurance, this policy protects the lender rather than the buyer. Title insurance often costs around 1% of the total loan amount.
These are not all the possible closing costs for buyers to prepare for. However, these are the most commonly associated with your new home. Inquire with your mortgage lender for more information about additional fees to prepare your budget accordingly.
Lana Harris is a Chicago native who is a second-generation real estate professional. She was introduced to real estate at a very young age while attending open houses with her mother who is a broker. She honed her skills assisting in property searches (back in the thick, Multiple Listing Service book days,) and using map reading skills to help plan property tour sequencing. Lana’s love of working with people and delivering strong customer service led her to the retail sector, where she developed her management skills at MC Sports, Ann Taylor, and Adidas. She and her husband moved to Utah in 2008 to enjoy the natural beauty of the mountains, and she began her real estate career here in 2015. Most recently, she was a VP of sales for a large team; she thrives on challenges and is determined to overcome obstacles to achieve results for her clients. Lana and her husband enjoy their three large dogs, skiing, camping and paddleboarding.
