John R. Wood Properties
Barry Dunleavy, John R. Wood PropertiesPhone: (239) 877-6445
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Average closing costs for buyer: What homebuyers should expect

by Barry Dunleavy 08/14/2022

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 fee

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.

Home inspection fee

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.

Loan origination fee

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.

Title search

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

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.

About the Author
Author

Barry Dunleavy

Over 25 Years in the Real Estate Industry. Former Senior Managing Director with responsibility for oversight of real estate businesses in Canada and Latin America including CEO of Canadian-based bank; prior to that Sr. Managing Director Construction Financing to large residential builders throughout the USA. He has a BA and MBA in Finance. Memberships include the Naples Board of Realtors, Graduate Realtors Institute, Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, Florida Realtors, and the National Association of Realtors. Community activities include New Horizons of Southwest Florida volunteer teaching math and reading to at-risk 3rd to 5th graders while being Chair of their 2016-2018 Golf Event and also involved with the Christian Businessmen's Connection. 2014 Awarded the Distinguished Volunteer for Collier County. He was a former Board of Governors of Hazeltine National Golf Club, host of the upcoming 2016 Ryder Cup Championship.