Buying a home is a complex process. While you can generally find the price of a home with a simple online search, there are a number of other costs associated with buying a home that aren’t necessarily spelled out in the listing.
As a buyer, it’s important to know all the costs associated with buying a home; that way, you won’t find yourself facing any expensive surprises during the homebuying process.
So what, exactly, are those costs?
A recent article from realtor.com outlined key costs of buying a home that buyers should be aware of, including:
- Earnest money. Earnest money is a deposit that shows the sellers you’re serious about buying their property. While it’s common to offer 1 to 2 percent as an earnest money deposit, that can change based on market conditions. For example, you might need a higher deposit in a hot market, or a lower deposit in a cool market.
- Origination fee. Lenders charge an origination fee for completing your loan. This fee, which is a percentage of the loan amount (generally in the 1 percent range) covers things involved with the processing of your loan, such as underwriting.
- Appraisal and inspection costs. If you’re using a mortgage to buy a home, you’ll need to get an appraisal to determine its fair market value, which generally costs somewhere around $300 to $400. You’ll also need a general home inspection, which can run between $300 and $500, and may need additional inspections, like a radon inspection or pest inspection, which will increase the cost.