Closing costs mostly follow the same pattern from state to state. What changes is a short list of taxes and fees: transfer taxes, recording taxes, and sometimes who is expected to pay them, plus how high property taxes run. These guides cover those differences, and each one shows a worked example of the cash you would need to close.
| State | Transfer or recording tax | Who owes it | Property tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | Transfer tax about $1 per $1,000, plus intangible tax on the loan | Seller (transfer tax); lender, may pass on (intangible) | 0.79% |
| North Carolina | Excise tax $1 per $500 of the price | Seller | 0.66% |
| Ohio | Conveyance fee: 1 mill statewide plus county mills | Seller | 1.36% |
| Pennsylvania | Realty transfer tax: 1% state plus local | Buyer and seller both liable; contract decides | 1.26% |
Effective property tax rates are the Tax Foundation's figures for owner-occupied housing, from the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey. Actual bills vary by county.
Georgia
A transfer tax the seller owes by law, and an intangible tax on your mortgage that a lender can pass to you.
Read the guideNorth Carolina
A seller-paid excise tax, one of the lower property tax rates, and state down payment help.
Read the guideOhio
A conveyance fee the seller pays, set partly by the county, and one of the higher property tax rates.
Read the guidePennsylvania
A 1% state transfer tax with a local tax on top, and both buyer and seller are liable.
Read the guideHow we check these pages
- Every rule and rate comes from an official page, such as a state revenue department, and is listed at the bottom of each guide.
- We say when something depends on your contract or county, and we do not state a custom as a rule.
- Program details are only listed when we could read them on the state agency's own page.
- The dollar amounts in the examples are computed with the same tested formulas as our closing cost calculator.
If your state is not here yet
Use the closing cost calculator for a line-by-line estimate, read how to read a Loan Estimate, and ask your lender or title company which state and local taxes apply. Your state revenue department's website is the authority on its own taxes. Follow the full process in the first-time home buyer guide.
Sources
The 2% to 5% range is from the CFPB's guidance on how much you want to spend. State sources are listed on each state page. Last reviewed September 2026. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.