{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Dataset",
  "name": "Who pays closing costs — the buyer or the seller?",
  "description": "Both do. Buyers pay lender, appraisal, and escrow costs (2–5% of price); sellers pay agent commissions plus transfer taxes and often the owner's title policy (6–10% total). Everything is negotiable — seller concessions can shift thousands to the seller's side.",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/answers/who-pays-closing-costs-buyer-or-seller",
  "dateModified": "2026-10-01",
  "creator": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "RevenueLab",
    "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi"
  },
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "keywords": [
    "Closing Costs Calculator",
    "Rent vs Buy Net Worth Calculator"
  ],
  "distribution": {
    "@type": "DataDownload",
    "contentUrl": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/page.json?path=answers%2Fwho-pays-closing-costs-buyer-or-seller",
    "encodingFormat": "application/json"
  },
  "json": {
    "type": "answer",
    "question": "Who pays closing costs — the buyer or the seller?",
    "shortAnswer": "Both do. Buyers pay lender, appraisal, and escrow costs (2–5% of price); sellers pay agent commissions plus transfer taxes and often the owner's title policy (6–10% total). Everything is negotiable — seller concessions can shift thousands to the seller's side.",
    "tableTitle": "Who customarily pays what",
    "columns": [
      "Cost",
      "Buyer",
      "Seller"
    ],
    "rows": [
      {
        "label": "Loan origination, appraisal, credit report",
        "value": "✓",
        "note": "Buyer's mortgage costs"
      },
      {
        "label": "Agent commissions",
        "value": "—",
        "note": "Seller traditionally; negotiable since 2024"
      },
      {
        "label": "Transfer taxes",
        "value": "Varies",
        "note": "Seller in most states, split in some"
      },
      {
        "label": "Owner's title policy",
        "value": "Varies",
        "note": "Seller in TX/FL, buyer in many northern states"
      },
      {
        "label": "Prepaid taxes/insurance",
        "value": "✓",
        "note": "Buyer's own future bills"
      }
    ],
    "context": "Custom varies by state — in Texas and Florida sellers usually buy the owner's title policy; in much of the Northeast the buyer does. In a buyer's market, asking for a 2–3% seller concession toward closing costs is common and often beats an equivalent price cut for cash-strapped buyers, because it reduces cash due at closing dollar-for-dollar. Loan programs cap concessions: 3% (conventional, low down payment) up to 6% (FHA) of the price.",
    "methodology": "Customary allocations from state closing practices and 2024–2026 MLS norms post-NAR settlement; concession caps from Fannie Mae/FHA guidelines.",
    "dateModified": "2026-10-01",
    "relatedCalculators": [
      {
        "label": "Closing Costs Calculator",
        "to": "/closing-costs-calculator"
      },
      {
        "label": "Rent vs Buy Net Worth Calculator",
        "to": "/rent-vs-buy-net-worth-calculator"
      }
    ],
    "relatedReading": [
      {
        "label": "How to calculate seller concessions",
        "to": "/answers/how-to-calculate-seller-concessions"
      }
    ]
  }
}