Posted by Tim Fierro (Tacoma, WA) on December 20, 2002 at 01:02:48:
Everything is negotiable.
There are costs involved when dealing with real estate, and some of these costs can be incurred by both parties as a matter of conducting the transaction.
Although the costs can be incurred by one party, negotiations can set off who will be paying for these fees.
A very common seller closing cost associated with selling a house is a real estate excise tax. While it is the responsibility of the seller to make sure it gets paid, a seller can have a buyer pay for it through negotiations. A very common buyer closing cost is prorated taxes that a seller has already paid for in advance. The buyer side of the transaction will be responsible for the … (funny this is still here as I left at 07:59pm and just got back now at 11:01pm) … payment of these and will put on their side of the statement. However, a seller concession for these costs can be included in negotiations.
So each side has costs, but how much of those costs are paid in cash out of pocket or through concessions is what can be negotiated.