"Cash BEFORE Close" for Adrianna |
Until we identify the house in question, I cannot firmly determine who will be paying the closing costs. But in the $300,000 give or take price range, many, if not most comparable sales, would have had $6,000 or so in closing costs paid by the seller built into the price. Consequenty, for valuation and negotiating purposes, it will likely be best for Adrianna to request $6,000 in closing costs from the seller in her eventual offer.
Before we get to "cash TO close", let's talk about cash BEFORE close needs. At time of offer, an Earnest Money deposit of $1,000 or $5,000 or $10,000 will be in order. The more you like the house, the more certain you are that "This is the ONE!", the higher the Earnest Money deposit. Since the downpayment is expected to be $30,000 to $33,000, an Earnest Money deposit is simply and advance against the downpayment.
On the one hand, if there are any doubts about the house you should maybe try to get away with $1,000. On the other hand, $1,000 sends a clear message that you may have doubts about the house. It's a catch 22.
Besides the Earnest Money Deposit at time of offer, there are two other out of pocket expenses before you close on the house. One is the Home Inspection fee which is about $400 and the other is the Appraisal Fee which is also about $400. Possibly $900 for both. These monies are gone, once spent, whether you buy the house or not.
Next we will examine how much of the total cash to close is expected to be met by the $6,000 requested of the seller in the offer. Let's see if Adrianna has any questions regarding this part before we move on to the costs at tome of close.

