Closing Costs Explained, Part 2 of 10 in the "Closing 101 Series"

AN EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE OF THE AMERICAN LAND TITLE ASSOCIATION

  

Closing your home should be exciting, and once you understand the process and how it works, it can be.

Here you will find a list of costs commonly associated with closing on a home. Fees may vary depending on where you live, so be sure to talk to your lender, real estate agent, and settlement company for more specific information.

All closing costs must be listed on your HUD-1 settlement form, a document that is required to be filled out prior to finalizing the purchase of your home.

What are My Closing Costs?

In addition to the sales price of the home, there are a variety of costs associated with finalizing the transaction. Click on any of these links below for more information on these costs:

• Real Estate Broker Commission/Fees (Section 700) If you use a real estate agent to help you in buying your home, the cost of the agent's services can be paid in one of two ways. Generally, the seller pays for all agents in a transaction in an amount usually stated as a percentage of the sales price. While this amount will be deducted, along with other seller-paid closing costs, from any amount the seller might otherwise be paid and is usually stated on the HUD-1, this will not be your charge. Increasingly, buyers in some places are engaging their own so-called "buyer's broker or agent." How they are paid and by whom varies from place to place and can be negotiated in many cases. Sellers frequently also pay for such services on behalf of buyers but if a charge is paid by the buyer, it will also be stated on the HUD-1 and added to the amount you'll need to bring to closing. 

•  Loan Fees - Direct Loan Costs (Section 800) Most people need to obtain a mortgage loan to pay for their home. There are often fees associated with obtaining a loan such as the ones listed below. These fees include ones paid directly to the lender or the lender's designated payee. Fees payable to third-party loan originators (typically Mortgage Brokers) are also shown in this section of the HUD-1. 

• Loan Origination Fee  This fee covers the lender's cost of obtaining financing and administration for your loan. The fee is usually calculated as a percentage of the loan amount but can also be in a flat dollar amount. It has become more common for an "application" fee (stated in flat dollar amount) and, possibly, other up-front charges like an "underwriting" fee (also usually in flat dollar terms) either to take the place of or be in addition to an origination fee. Each lender and each loan program a lender offers will have different front-end charges. You should shop carefully and examine all the fees and terms prior to closing. It is generally too late to change those fees and terms at closing. 

• Loan Discount (sometimes referred to as "points") This is a one-time fee charged by the lender in order to give you a lower interest rate on your loan. Each point is 1% of the mortgage amount. Points paid upfront can reduce the interest rate you pay on your loan. Whether this is the best option for you in shopping for a mortgage loan depends on whether you have the necessary cash and how long you think you'll stay in the home or keep the mortgage before selling or refinancing — the longer you intend to stay and keep the financing, the better off you may be paying something upfront and paying a lower interest rate on your loan. In any event, this cost will be collected at closing generally. 

• Appraisal Fees To approve your loan your lender has to obtain an estimate of what your home is really worth. The appraisal fee covers the cost of getting an estimate of the market value of your home, usually by an independent, certified, licensed appraiser. 

• Credit Report Fee Mortgage lenders require a credit report to determine whether or not you are eligible (have good enough credit) for a loan, how much they will lend you and at what interest rate. Credit Reports today often also include a "credit score" which is an indicator of your ability and willingness to repay the loan. The higher your credit score, the better risk you are. 
• Lender Inspection Fees - If the lender requires certain inspections to take place before closing (particularly where new construction or recent repairs are involved), such inspection fees, payable to the lender or its designee, will appear in this section of the HUD-1. 

• Mortgage Insurance Application Fee There are often fees associated with processing an application for mortgage insurance. Some private mortgage insurers waive the application fee. This line of the HUD-1 may be used for other fees when the borrower is seeking an FHA-insured or VA-guaranteed loan. 

• Assumption Fee If you are taking over the existing mortgage loan on the home, there is often a charge associated with assuming the mortgage, called the assumption fee. 

• Mortgage Broker Fee  This fee covers the costs of services of a mortgage broker if one is engaged by the borrower to help them shop for mortgage financing. Mortgage brokers typically present the borrower's application to a variety of funding sources before helping the borrower make their final selection. 

• Yield Spread Premium (YSP) This is a fee that the funding lender may pay directly to the mortgage broker or other third-party loan originator. This fee is for securing a borrower on behalf of the funding lender at rate and terms agreed upon which may be higher than what is called "at par." The fee is sometimes called a "Par-Plus Pricing" fee. While this fee is not paid by the borrower (it typically is shown as "POC" by the Lender"), it must be shown on the HUD-1 if the mortgage broker is receiving such compensation.