Utah Closing Costs Explained (2026 Buyer + Seller Breakdown)

How much are closing costs in Utah?

For sellers, the largest line is the real estate commission, and it is best understood as an investment rather than a fee: the right agent’s pricing, marketing, and negotiation routinely earn it back and then some, and often net you more than a cut-rate agent would after their discount. There is no standard, customary, or state-set commission rate in Utah, so the honest answer is that this line is whatever you negotiate. The predictable part is the rest: title and settlement fees run roughly 1 percent of the sale price, or about $3,300 on a $625,000 home, and Utah charges no transfer tax at all. Add whatever listing fee you agree to, plus any contribution you choose to make toward the buyer’s agent, and that is your total. The sample-rate table below does the arithmetic at several rates so you can substitute your own.

For buyers, the costs are different in kind: lender, appraisal, inspection, and title fees plus prepaid escrow reserves. Some scale with the price, so a higher-priced home costs a bit more to close, usually landing around 1 to 2 percent of the price, including prepaid escrow. If you work with a buyer’s agent, their compensation is negotiated separately since the 2024 NAR settlement, and a good one more than earns it in the homes they find, the issues they catch, and the price and terms they negotiate for you.

Your exact cost depends on loan type, title and lender fees, property taxes owed, and who pays what in the REPC. If you want a personalized seller’s net sheet or buyer’s cost estimate, call 801-999-8005 or request a free home value report. To run your own numbers first, the Utah closing cost calculator has a buyer cash-to-close estimate and a seller net sheet that uses the same ranges as this guide.

Utah closing costs for buyers

Buyer closing costs are a mix of flat fees and charges that scale with the purchase price. Some are roughly fixed no matter the price: appraisal, inspection, recording, and most lender processing fees. Others rise with the price and loan amount, so title insurance, loan origination, and your prepaid escrow reserves are all larger on a $700,000 home than on a $400,000 one. You also bring your earnest money deposit, which is credited toward your purchase rather than an added cost.

Lender fees ($1,500 to $3,500). Origination, underwriting, processing, and application fees. The origination piece often scales with your loan amount. Get 2 to 3 Loan Estimates and compare.

Appraisal ($600 to $900). Required by your lender to verify the home value. You pay it whether the deal closes or not.

Home inspection ($400 to $700 and up). Not required, but strongly recommended. Pays the licensed inspector who examines the home.

Specialty inspections (about $150 to $600 each). Utah buyers often add radon, meth, mold, sewer scope, roof, structural, plumbing, electrical, or lead-based paint inspections. Each specialist bills separately.

Lender’s title insurance (about $1,500 to $2,200 on a $500,000 home, $2,000 to $3,000 on $750,000, and $2,500 to $3,500 on $1,000,000). Required by your lender. In Utah this runs close to the owner’s policy, not a token fee.

Recording fees ($30 to $150). County recorder filing fees for the deed and mortgage.

Property tax prorations (varies with your closing date). Utah’s effective property tax runs roughly 0.55 to 0.85 percent depending on the district, so a $625,000 primary residence is about $2,300 to $3,500 a year. At closing you pay only the prorated share from your closing date through year-end.

HOA transfer fee and prepaid dues (varies widely). Many communities charge a few hundred dollars. Some charge a percentage of the sale price: Daybreak’s transfer fee is 0.5 percent, about $4,000 on an $800,000 home.

Prepaid escrow (taxes and insurance) ($3,000 to $6,000 and up). Your lender collects several months of property tax and homeowners insurance upfront to seed your escrow account.

Mortgage insurance (if you put less than 20 percent down). FHA loans charge upfront MIP of 1.75 percent of the loan. Conventional loans add monthly PMI until you reach 20 percent equity.

Under the standard REPC, you usually do not pay for your own owner’s title policy: the seller buys that for you. The exception is a cash purchase, where there is no lender’s policy and you decide on the owner’s policy yourself. Get it.

Estimated total for a typical Utah buyer: for a $625,000 home, plan on roughly $6,500 to $12,500 in closing costs and prepaid escrow, on top of your down payment. Many Utah buyers put down far less than 20 percent, which lowers cash to close but adds monthly mortgage insurance and slightly raises the fees that scale with loan size.

Buyer closing costs in Utah: real dollar amounts

Buyer closing costs generally land between 2 and 4 percent of the purchase price, excluding your down payment. The table below assumes a financed purchase with 10 percent down and includes prepaid escrow, which is the line most buyers forget and the reason so many are surprised at the settlement table.

Utah purchase price	Lender fees	Appraisal + inspections	Lender’s title + recording	Prepaid escrow (taxes + insurance)	Estimated buyer total
$400,000	~$1,500 to $3,000	~$1,200	~$1,400	~$2,800 to $4,500	~$6,900 to $10,100
$565,000	~$1,800 to $3,300	~$1,300	~$1,800	~$3,600 to $5,600	~$8,500 to $12,000
$625,000	~$1,900 to $3,500	~$1,300	~$1,900	~$3,900 to $6,000	~$9,000 to $12,700
$750,000	~$2,200 to $3,800	~$1,400	~$2,400	~$4,500 to $7,000	~$10,500 to $14,600
$900,000	~$2,500 to $4,200	~$1,500	~$2,900	~$5,200 to $8,200	~$12,100 to $16,800

Add these where they apply, because they are not in the totals above:

• Down payment. The single largest number and entirely separate from closing costs.
• Earnest money, typically $5,000 to $15,000 in Utah. Not an added cost: it is credited toward your down payment and closing costs at settlement.
• FHA upfront MIP, 1.75 percent of the loan amount, which is usually financed rather than paid in cash.
• HOA transfer fee and prepaid dues. A few hundred dollars in most communities, but some charge a percentage. Daybreak’s is 0.5 percent, about $4,000 on an $800,000 home.
• Discount points, if you buy the rate down. One point is 1 percent of the loan.
• Any buyer-agent compensation you have agreed to in your written buyer agreement that a seller does not contribute toward.

Three ways to lower the cash you actually bring:

1. Ask the seller for a closing-cost concession. In the current Utah market this is a live negotiation, especially on homes that have been listed a while, and it is often easier to win than a price reduction of the same size.
2. Compare Loan Estimates from two or three lenders. Lender fees alone vary $1,000 to $3,000 between lenders on the same loan.
3. Check whether you qualify for down payment assistance. Utah has programs worth up to $10,000 as a grant or $20,000 as a zero-interest loan, and several of them cover closing costs, not just the down payment. See Utah down payment assistance.

Ranges are estimates for planning, not a quote. Your Loan Estimate from your lender is the binding document.

Utah closing costs for sellers

A Utah seller’s costs come in two parts. The predictable part is title, settlement, and recording, which runs roughly 1 percent of the sale price, about $3,300 on a $625,000 home, plus prorated property taxes and any HOA dues through the closing date. Utah charges no transfer tax, so there is no percentage-based state or county levy on the sale at all.

The negotiated part is commission, and there is no standard, customary, or state-set rate in Utah to quote you. It is the largest line and the one that works for you rather than against you: the right agent’s pricing, marketing, and negotiation are what drive a higher sale price in the first place. Take whatever listing fee you agree to, add any contribution you decide to make toward the buyer’s agent, and add it to the predictable part. Then subtract your mortgage payoff, which is settled from the sale rather than being a closing cost.

Real estate commission (negotiable, no standard or state-set rate). This is usually the biggest line on your settlement statement, and it is best understood as an investment rather than a fee: a skilled agent with the right pricing, marketing, and negotiation systems routinely earns that money back, and often nets you more than a cut-rate agent would after their discount. There are two separate fees here, not one. The listing fee is whatever you and your listing brokerage agree to in writing, and firms across Utah price it very differently. The buyer’s-agent fee is separate, agreed between the buyer and their own agent, and since the 2024 NAR settlement you decide whether to contribute anything toward it. Ask every brokerage you interview to quote their own fee. See how Utah commissions work.

Owner’s title insurance (about $2,050 on a $400,000 sale, $2,670 on $600,000, and $3,080 on $800,000; it scales with price). Under the standard REPC the seller buys the owner’s policy for the buyer, so on a financed sale this almost always falls to you. It is negotiable in the contract, but seller-paid is the norm.

Closing fees ($500 to $900). Title company fees for handling escrow, document preparation, and closing.

Recording fees ($30 to $150). County recorder filing fees. Utah has no separate real estate transfer tax.

Property tax prorations (varies). The seller pays their share of property taxes from January 1 through the closing date. For how income and capital-gains taxes work on the sale itself, see taxes on selling a house in Utah.

HOA transfer fee ($150 to $500 and up, if applicable). Some Utah HOAs charge a transfer fee on the seller side.

Seller concessions (varies). Negotiated buyer assistance such as closing-cost help, repair credits, or rate buy-downs. Common in the 2026 buyer-favorable market.

Capital gains tax (if applicable). For primary residences, the IRS exclusion of $500,000 for a married couple or $250,000 for a single filer usually covers it. For investment properties or homes with extreme appreciation, plan ahead with a Utah CPA.

Seller closing costs in Utah: real dollar amounts

A Utah seller pays no real estate transfer tax, so you skip a line that costs thousands in many other states.

The one number nobody can give you in advance is commission, because there is no standard, customary, or state-set rate in Utah. Every brokerage prices independently and every listing agreement is negotiated. So rather than assume a rate, here is the arithmetic at a few sample rates. This is not a quote and not a suggestion of what anyone should charge. Run it against whatever you actually negotiate.

Non-commission costs, which are the predictable part:

Utah sale price	Title, settlement, and other fees
$400,000	~$2,600
$565,000	~$3,100
$750,000	~$3,500
$900,000	~$3,850

What a listing fee costs at sample rates, so you can substitute your own:

Sale price	1.5%	2%	2.5%	3%
$400,000	$6,000	$8,000	$10,000	$12,000
$565,000	$8,475	$11,300	$14,125	$16,950
$750,000	$11,250	$15,000	$18,750	$22,500
$900,000	$13,500	$18,000	$22,500	$27,000

The buyer’s agent fee is a separate fee, agreed in writing between the buyer and their own agent. Whether you contribute toward it, and how much, is your decision on each offer: you may agree, counter with a smaller amount, or decline. Use the same table to price whatever contribution is requested.

Figures exclude your mortgage payoff, which is settled from the sale rather than a closing cost. Property taxes and HOA dues are prorated to the closing date. If you agree to cover part of the buyer’s closing costs, add that amount as well. To get your actual net rather than an estimate, request a free net sheet and it will be built on the terms you are really working with. More on how the two fees work: Utah real estate commissions explained.

Who pays what in Utah real estate

Some fees are customary but negotiable. In Utah, the typical split is:

• Buyer pays: lender fees, appraisal, inspection, the lender’s title policy, recording fees, property tax prorations going forward, HOA prepaid dues, insurance and tax escrow, mortgage insurance, and, since the 2024 NAR settlement, possibly their own agent’s commission if the seller does not cover it.
• Seller pays: the listing agent’s commission (and, when the offer calls for it, the buyer’s agent’s commission), the owner’s title policy, closing fees, recording fees, property tax prorations through closing, any HOA transfer fee, and optional repair credits or concessions.

Everything is negotiable in the REPC, Utah’s Real Estate Purchase Contract. Sometimes buyers ask sellers to cover part of their closing costs, and that gets baked into the contract as a concession. Utah has approved a new REPC that becomes mandatory January 1, 2027, and a few of its changes touch money directly, including a daily fee when a seller holds over past possession. See what actually changed in the 2027 REPC.

Reducing closing costs in Utah

Shop your lender, and look at two things: the rate and the closing costs. Lenders make money on the spread on your rate or the fees they charge up front, so a low rate with high costs, or the reverse, can cost you more overall. Lender fees alone vary $1,000 to $3,000 between lenders for the same loan, so get 2 to 3 Loan Estimates and compare them side by side. A good lender starts with one question: how long do you plan to stay in this home? If it is five or more years, buying the rate down with cash up front usually wins. If you will likely refinance in a couple of years, keeping your cash to close matters more. See our loans and finance resources.

Negotiate seller concessions. In a buyer-favorable market, sellers regularly cover 1 to 3 percent of buyer closing costs.

Consider a no-closing-cost loan (with caveats). Some lenders roll the costs into a slightly higher rate. The math works best for short-term holds.

Time your closing. Closing late in the month reduces prepaid interest, and closing right after property tax due dates reduces the tax proration.

Common Utah closing cost mistakes

Waiving the owner’s title policy as a cash buyer. On a financed purchase the seller buys your owner’s policy under the REPC, so you are already covered. Cash buyers can waive it to save a few hundred dollars. Do not. It is a one-time premium that protects your ownership for as long as you own the home.

Underestimating prepaid escrow. The first year of property tax and insurance can be $3,000 to $5,000 that buyers forget about.

Forgetting HOA transfer and prepaid dues. Master-planned communities add transfer fees and prepaid dues at closing. Daybreak, for example, collects 0.5 percent of the sale price, about $4,000 on an $800,000 home.

Assuming all lenders charge the same. Lender fees are the most variable line item in closing costs. Always shop.

Get your personalized estimate

Every Utah closing is a little different. The numbers above are typical ranges, but your specific transaction depends on the price, loan type, lender, title company, and what is negotiated in the REPC. Call 801-999-8005 or request a free home value report for a personalized seller’s net sheet or buyer’s cost estimate. For a quick estimate right now, use the closing cost calculator and bring the result to that conversation.