Average closing costs on a house in 2024

Buying a home is one of the biggest investments you may ever make, but the asking price doesn’t offer the complete picture of how much you’ll need to get the keys. You’ll also have to account for closing costs, which are the fees associated with finalizing a real estate deal, like home appraisal and credit check fees.

One big factor that impacts your closing cost tab is where in the U.S. you’re buying — typical costs can vary widely from one state to another. If you’re in the process of buying a house, or just starting to think about it, keep reading for details on the average closing costs by state.

How much are average closing costs?

Closing costs are the upfront fees you pay when getting a mortgage and finalizing a home purchase. The national average closing costs for purchasing a single-family home come to $6,905 including transfer taxes, and $3,860 without, according to the most recent data from CoreLogic’s ClosingCorp (which covers the year 2021).

You’ll also pay closing costs when you refinance your mortgage. Those costs, however, tend to be much lower: an average of $2,375, according to ClosingCorp.

In general, closing costs for a home purchase cover expenses and fees including:

• Credit check
• Title search and insurance
• Appraisal
• Attorney fees
• Origination fee
• Application fee
• Underwriting fee
• Transfer taxes, if applicable

Closing costs by state

Depending on what state you’re in, ClosingCorp’s data shows that these fees can amount to anywhere from less than 1 percent of the home’s sale price to more than 5 percent at the highest end of the range.

States with no transfer taxes

One of the expenses that adds to closing costs is real estate transfer taxes, which cover the cost of transferring a title or deed from the seller to the buyer. However, some states do not charge a transfer tax:

Markets with the highest average closing costs

FAQs

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  What are closing costs?

  Closing costs are the fees and charges associated with completing a real estate sale. For homebuyers, the costs mostly cover lender-related fees (such as charges for loan origination and credit checks), professional fees for services like the home inspection and legal representation, as well as filing or recording fees for necessary paperwork. Home sellers have their own closing costs to cover too.
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  Who pays closing costs?

  Most of the time, both the buyer and seller pay closing costs of some form. The specific fees and expenses will vary by location, financing, price and other factors.
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  How much are closing costs?

  The amount varies widely depending on what state you’re in, the price of the home and other factors. For homebuyers, the fees typically add up to between 2 and 5 percent of the loan amount, according to data from Freddie Mac.
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  How can you save on closing costs?

  Though many of these fees are fixed, many closing costs are also negotiable. There might be some wiggle room with your lender regarding their fees, for example. You could strategically plan your closing date, as well, to lower the upfront per diem interest costs on the mortgage.