May 7, 2007
Closing Costs: Don’t Be Surprised
If you have never bought or sold a home before, you may be surprised to know that there are many costs and charges in the process besides the down payment. Numerous buyers are stunned at the additional costs of purchasing their new home as a result of the various closing costs for things such as document preparation and other types of administration fees. Expectation of the potential closing fees associated with buying your home will aid you to budget your funds appropriately, and help you decide early on what you can realistically afford for your home.
Lenders fees vary from area to area. However, you can expect certain fees to be tacked onto the loan. Make sure to check into with your lender the different costs that will be applied to the purchase for the house. Typically you will be required to pay these fees upon closing.
Processing Fees - Monies paid to begin the processing of the loan. Fees can run from a couple of hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars.
document preparation fees - A fee for the creation of the loan. Fees run approximately from $300 - $400 dollars.
Review Appraisal Fees - Cost vary accordingly, but in general you can expect a payment of $200.00 dollars.
Wire Fees - Electronic payment form for funding your loan and fees fluctuate.
You should be aware that there are other fees that will be incurred when purchasing a home. Some of the fees associated with home buying are advanced or one time fees and others are fees that will have to be paid again. Check up on some of the other fees that you will be needed to pay when purchasing the house.
loan origination fees - Fees based on a point system for your loan. Usually if you are able to pay more in a down payment, the points will be lower, thereby saving you fees on a higher interest rate.
Credit Report and Underwriting Fees - Depending on the financial institution running a credit report the fees will change, but look to pay up on a detailed report on the credit history. Fees are typically approximately $100.00. Costs for underwriting a loan can be on the costly side - averaging from several hundred to a few thousand dollars.
Property Tax Fees - Independent fees paid yearly to an outside representative to ensure payment of property taxes. Property tax fees can be in a special escrow account which can be required by the mortgage company before you purchase your house.
Appraisal Fees - Prices fluctuate on home price and geographic area. Independent appraisal fees typically run from $350.00 and upwards.
Homeowner Insurance Fees - Dependent on your financial institution a six month to one year expense for house insurance is usually called for.
It’s easy to see why most beginning home buyers believe that there could not possibly be any extra fees to consider when purchasing their home. Still, there are other fees that they might not realize that they will have to dispense to be able to move into their dream house. Other fees include title clearance fees which guarantee that the title is properly titled, and cleared to and for them. Also, notary fees for the different documents associated with house buying is necessary, it makes the documents a legal and viable document. Fees to have the documents notarized are not that expensive, but it is another fee that you must bear in mind. Fees for recording the documents at your local courthouse are another area of cost; again they aren’t that costly.
This list of fees is certainly not an all inclusive list, other costs may be found while dealing with mortgage companies, or federally sponsored programs such as HUD (Housing and Urban Development). The soundest defense against rising cost, and subsequently defaulted loans and ruined credit, is to check out as much as you can in relation to home owning overall, and then to wisely evaluate the economic portfolio. Consider other factors outside of closing costs, such as long term savings and investments that will need to be managed when you retire. Never jump too quickly into the responsibility of a long term financial commitment such as home ownership unless you’re sure that you are able to meet it.
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