Delaware closing cost calculator

In September 2026, the typical Delaware home was worth $405,061, per the Zillow Home Value Index Round that number to $405,000; with $81,000 down and $324,000 borrowed, the buyer's lines come out like this.

Cash at closing equals your down payment plus these costs; that comes to $95,000 in this example. Without commission and loan payoff, the seller's total is $6,075, all transfer tax.

Across the state, prices can be far apart. Typical values reach $642,214 for the priciest third of homes and begin at $272,430 for the cheaper third; buyer closing costs with 20% down span $8,021 up to $23,580, depending on the kind of home.

Who runs the closing is also set by Delaware law. A ruling approved by the Delaware Supreme Court says a Delaware-licensed attorney must handle the closing on every sale of Delaware real property and on refinancing loans secured by it.

Both sides pay a share of it. At 3% of the sale price, this tax is normally split in half between the seller, legally called the grantor, and the buyer, called the grantee. For a $405,000 home, that figure comes to $6,075 from the buyer and $6,075 from the seller.

Some local governments add a tax of their own, up to 1.5%. Once that local tax passes 1%, the state's share falls to 2.5%. Delaware added 1% to its share for contracts signed after July 31, 2017, which means an older guide might list a lower number.

The transfer tax is the biggest cost on both sides, so enter your price before making an offer to see your share.

Some transfers are excluded, but Delaware generally charges realty transfer tax whenever property changes hands. Mortgage foreclosure sales, leasehold interest transfers and direct conveyances between spouses or a parent and child are generally excluded.

If the home was built or improved in recent years, one extra charge matters. Improvements worth more than $10,000 together with land held by its current owner for less than one year trigger a separate 1% tax.

The deed's recording is when payment happens. At that point, the Recorder of Deeds for New Castle, Kent and Sussex usually takes the payment

The example assumes 20% down; enter your own down payment for the costs of your purchase. The example carries prepaid interest, homeowners insurance and an origination fee. Commission shows up only after you enter a rate; across the country, buyer's agents typically charge 2.42% of the price.

One figure to remember: the owner's title policy ($1,701) relies on a nationwide 0.42% estimate of the price, not a Delaware-specific rate, so your figure may differ.

Once you own the home, the median property tax bill for a home you occupy in Delaware comes to $1,768 a year. That is roughly 0.5% of the median value of a home.

Recording places your deed and mortgage in the public record kept by the county. Under the Sussex County schedule, a deed costs $31: a $30 document surcharge plus a $1 maintenance fee, plus $9 for every extra page. Recording the mortgage on its own costs another $31.

Sussex County adds a $30 fee to any document that doesn't meet the recording requirements. This calculator assumes $31 per document as an estimate, so the recording bill you actually pay may differ a little.