Mortgage Guide

Mortgage basics

What Are Closing Costs?

Published by the Mortgage Guide editorial team. Rate assumptions and content updated October 2026. This page is educational. It is not a loan offer, approval, or personalized financial advice.

Separate the worksheet from the quote

Origination is a lender charge. Appraisal is the valuation fee. Title charges cover the search and the policy. Recording is what the county charges to put the mortgage on record. Prepaids, such as tax and insurance reserves, are easy to mix in with fees.

This site's calculator starts with editable placeholders. It does not look up a state's transfer tax. That would pretend we have a sourced table we do not have.

Cash to close is bigger than the down payment

The down payment comparison adds a closing-cost percent you choose on top of 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20% down. Reserves a lender wants are still extra.

When a loan estimate arrives, replace every line. Keep the worksheet only until then.

Lines in the closing-cost worksheet
LineHow the worksheet treats it
OriginationPercent of the loan
AppraisalDollar amount
TitlePercent of the price
Recording and otherDollar amounts you type

Calculators

Related guides

Sources

Common questions

Are closing costs the same in every state?

No. Transfer taxes and title customs differ. This site will not invent those differences.

Can the seller pay them?

Sometimes, within the loan program's limits. The calculator does not assume a seller credit unless you lower the amounts yourself.