Buyers typically pay their loan costs (origination, appraisal, credit), their attorney, title search and title insurance, inspections, recording, and the prepaids their lender requires (first year of insurance, property-tax escrow, prepaid interest). Plan on roughly 2–4% of the purchase price with a loan; much less when paying cash.
Sellers typically pay the real estate commission (per the listing agreement), the state transfer tax, their side of the attorney/settlement work, mortgage payoff, and any HOA transfer documents.
A state tax on the sale, traditionally paid by the seller. In North Carolina it's $1 per $500 of the price ($2 per $1,000 — $870 on a $435,000 sale). In South Carolina the deed recording fee is $1.85 per $500 ($3.70 per $1,000 — about $1,610 on the same sale).
Prepaids aren't fees — they're your own future expenses collected up front: the first year of homeowner's insurance, a cushion of property taxes for the escrow account, and interest from closing day to your first payment. They're often the largest "cost" on a buyer's statement, but every dollar goes toward things you'd pay anyway.
In both Carolinas, a licensed attorney searches the title, resolves anything found, prepares the deed, holds and disburses every dollar, records the sale with the county, and runs the closing itself. Your agent coordinates with the attorney so deadlines never slip — and we work with attorneys we trust on every closing.
Yes — seller-paid credits toward the buyer's closing costs are a common negotiating lever, especially on longer-market listings and new construction. It's one of the terms we negotiate hardest, whichever side of the table we're on.
North Carolina contracts have two deposits. The due diligence fee is paid directly to the seller for taking the home off the market — nonrefundable, but credited to you at closing. The earnest money deposit is held in trust and refundable if you walk before the due diligence deadline. Setting these two numbers well is a big part of winning a house without over-risking — that's our job.