So you’ve accepted an offer on your home, and you’re looking forward to a tidy profit when it’s all said and done. But then at the final stage of the transaction, closing, you’re hit with all those closing costs. If you have plenty of equity in your home, those costs may not be too much of a burden as they’ll simply be deducted from the sale proceeds. But it still cuts into your profit, and you need to be prepared for that. Let’s take a closer look, then, at how much closing costs are for home sellers in Flemington.
What Is Closing?
Closing is the final stage in the home selling/buying process at which money and documents are transferred so that ownership of the property can be transferred from the seller to the buyer. Basically, it boils down to this: both the buyer and the seller fulfill everything they agreed to in the contract.
At closing, the seller pays off all loans on the house in order to clear the title, and the buyer and her lender then wire transfer funds to cover the balance owed. Typically, closing is facilitated by a third party, most often an escrow company. This ensures that all the exchanges are properly conducted – money, documents, and other items.
Common Seller Closing Costs
Buyers often pay much of the closing costs, but sellers also bear much of the financial burden at closing. Here are some of the costs you’ll be facing at closing as a seller . . .
Agent Commissions
“Real estate agent commissions are the most significant closing cost the seller typically pays.
It’s common for the seller to pay the commission for both the listing agent and the buyer’s agent. That’s usually a 6% hit to your bottom line, with 3% of the home’s selling price going to each agent involved in the transaction. On a $250,000 home sale, that would amount to $15,000.”
That is, obviously, a big chunk of change, but, what people don’t know is, agent commissions are negotiable. Find out more about this by contacting a Flemington agent at 908-448-2770.
Title Insurance
Another part of the closing costs you’ll have to bear as the seller is the title insurance, that is, the cost of the lender’s title insurance policy.
“Prior to a sale, a title search is conducted to verify ownership. In some states, a real estate attorney is required to review the title as well. A title policy protects the lender (and the new home buyer, if they opt to buy a policy of their own) against unexpected ownership claims that may arise. While not common, an ownership claim can trigger legal disputes o – and the extensive lawyer’s fees that come with them. You can’t lower the title insurance cost, but its price is probably worth the potential trouble it could save you.”
Taxes and Other Related Fees
Other closing costs home sellers in Flemington pay involve taxes and related fees. Just how much you as the seller will have to pay is negotiable and may vary according to specific contract conditions, and filing and recording fees can vary, being determined by the state or local jurisdiction. But most of the time sellers are required to pay the property or deed transfer tax.
Then there are property taxes and sometimes HOA fees. These “will likely be split with the buyer (unless you, as a seller, agree to cover them). [They] are normally prorated based on the closing date. So, for example, if you were closing on the 15th of the month, as the seller you’d be on the hook from the first through the 14th. As the home’s new owner, the buyer would pick up the tab starting on closing day.”
Concessions
If you happen to be selling in a strong buyer’s market, you may have to sweeten the deal by making some concessions. One of the most common in this scenario is when the seller agrees to pay some (or all) of the buyer’s closing costs.
How much you can contribute in concessions may be limited according to the type of the buyer’s mortgage loan. For example, “[f]or a conventional loan on a single-family home that will be a primary residence, the limits on seller concessions vary from 3% to 9% depending on the size of the buyer’s down payment and whether they’re receiving closing cost assistance from other sources. Loans backed by government agencies, such as the Federal Housing Administration, have their own limits on seller concessions.”
Your agent can help you navigate this complicated course. Discover more by calling 908-448-2770.
The Agent Advantage
Ultimately, then, your closing costs as a Flemington home seller usually be about 6% to 10% of the sale price. And that’s no small chunk of change – but your Flemington agent can help. Your agent can assist you in negotiating the parts that can be negotiated and help you avoid unnecessary costs. If you’re a seller worried about closing costs, be sure to contact us today at 908-448-2770.