Buyers: How to Use Seller Concessions to Get Your Offer Accepted

When buying a house, you pay closing costs and fees to cover the costs of getting the mortgage which usually ranges from 3 – 6% of the home price.

In some cases, you may be able to get the seller to pay for some of these closing costs. These are called seller concessions, and they can be a powerful way to save on your closing costs. DOBI agent, Deanna McGowan from The McGowan Group, shares that in this market we actually aren’t seeing a ton of seller concessions, but when we do it’s typically for an issue during the home inspection. In fact, in our current market, A LOT of buyers are actually paying concessions toward sellers closing costs to get an offer accepted as it nets sellers more money in the end.

So what are seller concessions? In short, when sellers don’t want a buyer to walk due to an issue, they pay some money to keep them in the deal.

Here is a breakdown of the most common seller concessions you can expect to see and how you can use them to your advantage based on the transaction:

PROPERTY TAXES

Pre-paid property taxes through the end of the year at closing.

TITLE INSURANCE

Title insurance protects you and your lender if someone comes forth with a claim for the home’s title.

LOAN ORIGINATION FEES

These origination fees cover your lender’s charges for processing your loan.

INSPECTION FEES

Inspection fees cover the cost of inspections required for the loan. For example, in some states and on some loans, a pest inspector must evaluate your property before a sale can go through.

RECORDING FEES

Recording fees cover the expense of documenting your home’s purchase with your local government.

APPRAISAL FEE

This covers the cost of getting a licensed third-party appraisal of the home to determine the market value.

ATTORNEY’S FEES

You may need an attorney to review closing documents. Attorney’s fees cover the cost of real estate attorney services.

POINTS

Mortgage points (also known as discount points) are upfront interest you pay to reduce your interest rate.

Be sure to talk with your DOBI agent when you are going through the buying or selling process to see where you may benefit from seller concessions.

Sources:
https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/seller-concessions