Ultimately, the specifics of who pays for what will depend on the terms of the contract and any agreements reached between the parties involved.

Fees, costs, earnest money, oh my!

In a real estate transaction, there are various costs and fees that are incurred by both the buyer and the seller. Here are some of the typical expenses:

Buyer:

• Earnest money 

• Down payment (the amount the buyer pays towards the purchase price of the property)

• Home inspection fee

• Appraisal fee

• Loan origination fee

• Title insurance

• Escrow fees

• Property taxes (prorated to the date of closing)

• Homeowners association (HOA) fees (if applicable)

• Closing costs (which can include a variety of fees such as a loan application fee, underwriting fee, title search fee, and attorney fee)
  

Seller:

• Real estate agent commission (typically 5-6% of the sale price, split between the seller's and buyer's agents)

• Title insurance (if required by the buyer)

• Escrow fees (if required by the buyer)

• Property taxes (prorated to the date of closing)

• Any outstanding liens or mortgages on the property

• Home warranty (if agreed upon in the contract)

It's worth noting that some of these costs can be negotiated between the buyer and seller as part of the purchase contract. Ultimately, the specifics of who pays for what will depend on the terms of the contract and any agreements reached between the parties involved.

For example, typically, the buyer does not directly pay for the real estate commission in a real estate transaction. The seller is usually responsible for paying the commission to both the listing agent (the agent who represents the seller) and the buyer's agent (the agent who represents the buyer). The commission is typically a percentage of the sale price of the property, and it's split between the two agents.

The commission paid by the seller is factored into the sale price of the property. So indirectly, the buyer does pay a portion of the commission as part of the overall purchase price. Nonetheless, the commission is not typically a separate fee that the buyer directly pays out of pocket, but can be negotiated and changed however the buyer and seller see fit in the contract.