7 Closing Costs Many New Homebuyers Fail to Consider

If you’ve ever purchased a home, you know the price you agreed to pay the seller is not the only cost involved. You likely encountered many additional costs along the way, including those infamous ‘closing costs’ you always hear about.

Lawyer fees are always part of the equation, so we’ll leave them out. But here are 7 other closing costs many new home buyers don’t even think about beforehand. Not all of them occur after the deal is completed, either!

1) Land Transfer Tax

Depending on the province you’re in, you may have to pay a land transfer tax when you buy a home. This is a transfer fee that can be between 0.5% and 2% of the home’s value. First-time home buyers are eligible for rebates, but if you aren’t a first-time buyer this tax could add thousands of dollars to your purchase price.

2) Home Inspection

Naturally, a home inspection should be part of the conditions of buying the house. Sometimes, you can get this service included in the purchase price, but most of the time the buyer pays and it will add several hundred dollars to your totals.

3) Prepaid Bills or Utilities

Here’s one that rarely enters a homebuyer’s mind. If the seller has prepaid for bills like property taxes or certain utilities, you’ll have to reimburse them when the deal closes. You won’t have to worry about paying them for that amount of time after you move in, but they will add to your pre-move costs.

4) Mortgage Insurance Taxes

For homebuyers with less than a 20% down payment, mortgage default insurance is required by your lender. And while you can have the cost blended in with your mortgage payments, you will have to pay the whole PST at closing. This can end up being a few hundred dollars.

5) Title Insurance

Title insurance is designed as protection for new homeowners. It will safeguard against problems like fraud, existing liens against the title and any other title defects that may affect your ownership of the property.

6) Appraisal Fee

Sometimes, a lender will ask you to have your new home appraised so the stated market value is confirmed. This is to protect their interests, and usually costs between $200 and $400 to complete.

7) Home and Fire Insurance

Home insurance and fire insurance are requirements set out by the lender to ensure the home is protected before you move in. You won’t have to pay for it all out of pocket at closing, but you will need proof of coverage to show your lender before the deal is finalized. The payments will be made monthly.

This list of 7 isn’t close to a complete list, but it does give you an idea of some of the complexities of home ownership, especially before you actually get into the house. Feel free to add more.