Florida Closing Costs for Buyers & Sellers
Closing costs in Florida for a seller range between 5% – 10% of the final home price.
Closing costs for buyers range between 1% – 3%.
Closing Costs Explained
Closing costs simply put are the final money transferred between the buyer and seller during the home closing process. They are integral to the final step in the home selling or buying process. All document signing is complete and funds are released to all parties.
Next up we’ll take a closer look at how the closing costs are determined for both the selling and buying parties in the state of Florida.
Closing Cost Responsibilities
Sellers and buyers both have an obligation to pay for closing costs when a home is transferred from one owner to another. The main difference that dictates which party pays what boils down to which end of the sale you’re on; the buyer or the seller.
The seller of the home is responsible for the realtor’s commissions and title transfers.
The buyer is most commonly charged for the mortgage fees and escrow establishment including prorated taxes, insurance, etc.
So, How Much Are Closing Costs in Florida?
Hard numbers are difficult to provide as most of the closing cost figures depend on the home’s final sale price. Factors such as custom realtor commissions or lending fees can also vary.
However in general, closing costs for a seller range between 5% – 10% of the final home price. Closing costs for buyers range between 1% – 3%.
If you’re looking for something more precise, read on to which side of the real estate transaction you’re on for a further breakdown of closing costs in Florida.
Buyer’s Closing Costs in Florida
As noted above, a home buyer in Florida can expect to pay between 1% – 3% in closing costs. The buyer is responsible for home appraisal fees, inspection fees, loan fees, and recording fees.
To better understand each of these, let’s cover each of the fees that make up closing costs for buyers in Florida.
Home Appraisal Fees: The lender will need to make sure the mortgage loan amount on the home does not exceed 80% of its total value.
The home appraisal is what determines this value, typically ranging from $400 – $500.
Inspection Fees: Inspections are commonly done during the initial home inspection period right after a bid is placed on a home.
Home inspections for a single-family home typically range between $250 – $500.
Loan Fees: Loans come with a variety of fees including but not limited to credit applications, points or prepaid interest, and loan origination fees.
These fees can add up, especially depending on how aggressive you get with purchasing prepaid interest points. However, do note that interest points are tax deductible at the end of the year.
Loan fees commonly range between 0.5% up to 2.0%+, largely dependent on purchased interest points.
Recording Fees: Recording fees are captured by the local Florida municipality as each town or city will have its own set rate.
Recording fees rarely exceed $200.
Florida Closing Costs for a Cash Buyer
Most of the buyer closing costs come from the financing of the home. For example, the pro-rated funds used to establish an escrow account, purchasing points for lower interest rates, etc.
As none of this applies, cash buyers in Florida can expect to pay less than 1% in closing costs.
Seller’s Closing Costs in Florida
Closing costs for a seller in Florida range between 5% – 10% of the final home sale price.
Closing costs for a seller in Florida consist of realtor commissions, municipal lien search, title search, transfer tax or stamp fee, and title insurance. Additionally, the seller may need to cover prorated property taxes and any outstanding homeowner association dues. If you need to sell a distressed property, such as one in foreclosure or requiring significant repairs, there could be additional expenses related to the settlement of liens or legal fees. It’s important for sellers to budget for these costs to avoid surprises at closing.
Commissions: By far the largest component of closing costs are Florida realtor commissions. At the time of this writing, we most commonly see 2% – 2.5% for both the buyer and the seller of the total home price. Totaling 4% – 5% of the total home price on average in real estate agent commission fees.
Municipal Lien Search: Conducted by the local municipality, the municipal lien search reviews that there are no outstanding liens placed on the property that would convert to the new owner. If the home is located within an HOA, there would also be a search to ensure the home was in good standing. The municipal lien search on average is between $150 – $300, adding another $100 on average for an HOA.
Title Search: Examines public records to validate the current property owner. It will also uncover any outstanding claims or liens on the property, outside of the local municipality. The title search fee ranges from $75 – $250.
Title Settlement Fee: Charged by the title company as an administrative fee. These vary based on the mortgage lender [1].On average, expect a title settlement fee of around $1,000.
Title Insurance: Protects the home buyer from any legal documentation issues. Required by most lenders.Title insurance is a one-time fee ranging between 0.5% – 1%.
Transfer Tax Or Stamp Fee: Simply a set tax charged by the state of Florida to transfer a deed from one owner, to another.The Florida stamp fee is set at .007% or $0.70 per $100. Miami-Dade County is a bit different, coming in at .006% or $0.60 per $100 for a single-family home [2].
Rolling Florida Closing Costs Into a Home Loan (Seller Concession)
Florida closing costs are commonly paid out-of-pocket during the closing date of the home sale.
With home prices nearing all-time highs, you may wish to roll the closing costs into the home loan via a seller concession.
A seller concession simply means that the buyer is going to cover all or a portion of the closing costs. 6% of the final home price is the maximum allotment for a seller concession toward closing costs [3]. Generally getting a seller concession is handled 2 ways as part of the home bid;
- Ask the seller to cover what are typically the buyers closing costs.
- Ask the seller for up to a 6% seller concession, offering the requested amount in addition to the price you plan to bid on the home. For example, if the home was $100,000, you could bid $106,000 on the home, requesting $6,000 in a seller concession.
Option 2 is much more common as there is rarely a reason why a seller would mind doing this as they make the same amount on the home sale.
Final Words
Hopefully, it is clear what Florida closing costs consist of, what their average costs are, and how you might be able to shave a few dollars off your out-of-pocket costs.
The sunshine state has experienced record population growth in the past 2 years contributing to high home prices [4].
If you’re having difficulty finding the perfect home at a price in your budget, we’d love the chance to show what we can do for you. Please feel free to reach out and chat, at any time.
References
- https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/title-fees
- https://floridarevenue.com/Forms_library/current/gt800014.pdf
- https://www.fha-world.com/seller-concession-florida.html
- https://southfloridaagentmagazine.com/2021/12/29/florida-ranked-second-in-u-s-for-population-growth/
