If you’re new to home buying and the mortgage process, you probably aren’t familiar with closing costs. Closing on your first home should be exciting, but without the right knowledge set, it can be scary. We’re here to help, and explain what closing costs are. By the end of this article, we hope you are not asking “What Are Closing Costs?” because you will already have the answers.
What Are Closing Costs?
Closing costs are costs in addition to the price of your home. These can include real estate broker commission/fees, prepaids (items that are required by the Lender to be paid in advance), loan fees, escrows/impounds/reserves, title charges, closing charges, government filing fees, recording files fees, and other miscellaneous charges.
Description of Closing Costs
While there are a large amount of closing costs, once you understand what each one is, you’ll be able to thoroughly move forward in you home closing with confidence. Below is an excerpt from Wikipedia, where we highly suggest you read all the descriptions of closing costs:
- “Attorney (Lawyer) Fees, paid by either or both parties, for the preparation and recording of official documents. The principals and/or lender may each be represented by their own attorney. Typically required by institutional/commercial lenders to ensure documents are prepared correctly.
- Title Service Cost(s), paid by either party according to the contract but by default seller may pay the majority, for title search, title insurance, and possibly other title services. In some cases the attorney may do the title search or the title service and attorney fees may be combined. Required by institutional/commercial lenders and often by the real estate contract.
- Recording Fees, paid by either party, charged by a governmental entity for entering an official record of the change of ownership of the property. Required by the government for recording the deed.
- Document or Transaction Stamps or Taxes, paid by either or both parties depending on location (area of jurisdiction), charged by a governmental entity as an excise tax upon the transaction. Required by law.
- Survey Fee for a survey of the lot or land and all structures on it, paid by either party, to confirm lot size and dimensions and check for encroachments. Required by institutional/commercial lenders.
- READ MORE AT WIKIPEDIA for GREAT INFORMATION“
Closing Cost Gift Funds
United States Everyday Housing Hero Assistance Fund provides gift funds that are 100% gifts, no repayment neccesary. So how can you obtain a gift from EHHAF? If you’re a member of one of the Every Day Heroes professions – Teachers, Doctors, Police Officers, Firefighters, and Nurses- who would like to be a homebuyer need only qualify for a mortgage loan. Unlike most gifts, EHHAF is a true gift that never needs to be repaid by you, the builder, or the seller. There is no administrative fee whatsoever charged for using our gift program. You will work with our approved Realtors©and mortgage lenders that are trained to help you in either of our programs. Find out more and apply for gift funds today!