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Chris

Understanding Closing Costs

Friday, October 2, 2020 - Article by: Chris - 1st Nationwide Mortgage - Message

Closing costs are fees homeowners and buy on a home purchase or refinance paid at closing. They usually total roughly 2% to 4% of the loan amount, based on your individual factors. There are two major categories of closing costs:

Lender and broker fees: Lender and broker fees are charged by most mortgage lenders. This will commonly include fees for the credit report, loan processing, loan origination, and broker fees. These fees differ from lender to the next.

Third-party fees: The second category of closing costs is third-party fees. These are costs are on basically all home loans. These fees are for the appraisal, survey, property taxes, homeowner's insurance and similar. Many lenders do not put these closing costs in their loan estimates since disclosing them isn't mandatory by law.

A lot of lenders provide you with estimated closing costs after you've already completed most of the mortgage application process.

Here are7 fees you can expect to pop up from lenders:Lender and broker feesThe following are some typical lender and broker fees. These fees cannot go over 3% of the total loan amount combined.

1. Loan application feeSome lenders will charge an application fee simply for taking and processing your loan application. This fee is considered a junk fee to many in the industry.The cost ranges from $200 to $500

2. Loan origination feeThe loan origination fee is one of the largest closing costs you'll have to obtain a mortgage. Sometimes this fee is identified by other names such as broker fee or mortgage broker fee. Sometimes the fee includes the processing and administrative fee.

The cost: Lenders or brokers tend to charge from 1% to 2% of the loan amount as an origination fee. This can add up to thousands of dollars. A $600,000 loan that's charged a 1% origination fee is $6,000.

3. Mortgage broker feeIf you are getting a loan through a mortgage broker, don't be surprised to find a mortgage broker fee. This fee is usually a percentage of the total loan amount and is commonly listed as the "origination fee" on the Loan Estimate.

The cost: Most brokers charge between 1% and 2% of the total loan amount of the home.

Third-party fees

The following are some common third-party fees with any lender you go through. Be prepared for them disclosed to you upfront.

4. Appraisal and home inspectionBefore approving your home for financing, the mortgage lender must know the market value of the property you're buying or refinancing. This is done so the right calculations are done based on the loan-to-value. An unbiased third-party appraisal company is hired to find out the value of the property. A home inspection is also sometimes a requirement if the appraisers notices pest infestation, leaks, or structural issues.The cost: ranges from $300 to $1000

5. Attorney feesSome states such as Texas and others require that a lawyer handle a part of the closing documentation of the transaction. The cost varies based on your state.$175 - $1,000

6. TaxesAnother unplanned cost that many new homeowners get hit with is Property Taxes. This is not a one time cost and will occur every year so it should not be regarded as a loan fee. If there was no loan, the property taxes would still be due. You may also have to pay a county or state transfer tax, which is the fee to transfer property ownership from one party to another.The cost is very different based on the state and county. Find out from your real estate agent or local lender.

7. Homeowner's insuranceLenders want to guarantee their interest in the property is covered should there be significant event that destroys the property. Your homeowners insurance policy should be searched for prior to closing and it should cover the loan amount or the insurer should provide a replacement cost calculator. You will have to pay the amount of the policy for one year at closing. The cost: Varies based on the state, location and home value

Other FeesRegrettably, the above list is not everything as far as closing costs. There are other miscellaneous third-party fees associated with closing your mortgage that could turn up. Other fees you may notice on closing day include:

Title FeesTitle InsuranceFHA, VA and USDA FeesPest InspectionFlood DeterminationSurvey FeeAssumption FeeAnnual AssessmentsHOA certification FeesEscrow Fee

Cost: These fees can vary considerably from one title/settlement company to the next

At the end of the day, the fees charged on your home loan will be specific to you, your property's location, and the lender and settlement service providers you choose to work with.

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