A national real estate closing cost survey released last week shows that the biggest differences in closing costs among states occurred in varying costs for title insurance, settlement services fees and title searches.
The survey, conducted by Bankrate, compares average closing costs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and presents averages for 21 fees typically charged at closing: appraisal fees, document preparation fees, and title insurance fees, among others.
While the biggest differences among states were in title and settlement services, origination costs did not vary much from state to state, according to the survey. However, origination costs did differ from lender to lender.
The survey data enables consumers to compare their lender’s offer to the state and national averages.
Bankrate surveyed nine to 15 lenders in each state, who offer detailed rate information online, and asked them to estimate the closing costs on a $180,000 loan to a buyer with excellent credit history who had made a down payment of at least 20 percent on a single-family home in the state’s largest city.
The top 10 states with the highest average closing cost in descending order were: New York, with an average $3,907; Hawaii, with an average cost of $3,628; Alaska, with an average $3,620; New Jersey at $3,362; Florida at $3,196; Connecticut at $3,191; Pennsylvania at $3,033; California at $3,022; Maryland at $3,010; and Ohio at $2,990.
The study looks at all origination fees, but does not include taxes or escrow costs.
To view the full survey, go to http://www.bankrate.com/closing.
Bankrate owns and operates Bankrate.com, an Internet consumer banking marketplace.
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