Closing Cost Knowledge Center

Practical 2026 guides to transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance, and closing costs by state and major market. Explore exact rates, who pays, common surprises, and real-dollar examples.

Closing Costs by State Closing Cost FAQ

New York City, NY

Three separate taxes — up to 3.9% combined

New York City imposes three separate transfer taxes on residential real estate, making it one of the most complex — and expensive — closing …

Highest total transfer tax in Illinois

Chicago imposes three separate layers of real estate transfer tax — city, county, and state. Combined, buyers and sellers in Chicago pay mor…

Philadelphia, PA

4.278% combined — highest in PA

Philadelphia imposes the highest real estate transfer tax of any city in Pennsylvania. Unlike most PA municipalities where the tax is split …

5% combined — highest in Allegheny County

Pittsburgh has one of the highest combined real estate transfer tax rates in Pennsylvania. Unlike Philadelphia where the buyer pays most of …

San Francisco, CA

Six-tier cliff structure — up to 6%

San Francisco has one of the most complex residential transfer tax structures in California, with six rate tiers that create significant tax…

Los Angeles, CA

Cliff tax: 4% at $5.3M, 5.5% at $10.6M

Los Angeles's Measure ULA — the "United to House LA" transfer tax — went into effect April 1, 2023. It adds a significant transfer tax on hi…

Two separate taxes — ~3.9% combined at mid-market

Washington DC imposes two distinct taxes on real estate transfers: the Recordation Tax and the Transfer Tax. Both apply to the same transact…

Graduated marginal fee + GPF on high-value sales

New Jersey's Realty Transfer Fee (RTF) is a state-imposed tax on real estate sales, typically paid by the seller. Unlike cliff-structure tax…

4% combined — one of the highest state rates in the US

Delaware has one of the highest state-level transfer tax rates in the United States. The combined rate in New Castle County (Wilmington metr…

State + county layers — rates vary significantly by county

Maryland imposes both a state transfer tax and county-level recordation taxes, making it one of the more complex closing cost states on the …

Washington State

Graduated marginal — up to 3.0% on high-value sales

Washington State's Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) is a graduated marginal tax on real estate sales — each rate bracket applies only to the pr…

Colorado Mountain Towns

Local RETT up to 3% — surprise cost for ski resort buyers

Colorado's ski resort towns impose their own Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) on property sales, on top of the state and county documentary f…

Chicago Suburbs, IL

Surprise costs for Chicago suburb buyers

Many Chicago-area municipalities impose their own Real Property Transfer Tax (RPTT) on top of Cook County and Illinois state taxes. These lo…

Miami-Dade County, FL

$3.00/$500 — lower than other FL counties but has surtax

Florida's documentary stamp tax is statewide, but Miami-Dade County is the one exception with a different rate. While every other Florida co…

7-tier graduated marginal — higher rates on non-owner-occupied

Hawaii imposes a Real Property Conveyance Tax on all real estate transfers. Unlike many transfer taxes, Hawaii's is genuinely graduated marg…

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