An Open Look
At Closing Costs

It all adds up

Recording fees on real estate transactions in Pennsylvania have grown bit by bit, a few dollars at a time, with every increase dismissed as “just a few dollars.”

But the fact is that those few dollars here and there have added up to a big increase in closing costs on Pennsylvania families and businesses.

Since 2006, the average minimum cost of recording fees has risen by 79.3 percent.

That’s more than three times the rate of inflation in the last 10 years.

Some counties have more than doubled their recording fees in the last 10 years, and in one case by more than $200.

In dozens of cities across Pennsylvania, the cost of realty transfer taxes has increased by an average of $380 on top of rising recording fees.

It all adds up, which Pennsylvania’s legislators need to know before they decide to raise recording fees by “just a few dollars” again.

Let’s work together to keep these closing costs from adding up year in and year out, and find ways to fund local governments responsibly.

What we’ve learned

The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors® is the voice of real estate in Pennsylvania. Over the years, we have fought against increases in realty transfer taxes and recording fees.

We have commissioned research to measure just how much recording fees and transfer taxes have increased in the last 10 years.

Here is what we have learned: