Separate the cost from the cash still due.
Closing costs exclude your down payment. Cash to close is the amount still due at settlement after the transaction’s financing, deposits, credits and adjustments are accounted for. On the Closing Disclosure, use the calculation on page 3 to trace the amount instead of adding only the down payment and a rough fee estimate.
- Match the deposit credit to your actual payment records.
- Check that agreed seller or builder credits appear in the correct places.
- Ask the closing professional to explain each adjustment you do not recognize.
Understand the money set aside for later bills.
Prepaids and initial escrow funding serve different purposes from lender fees. They can include advance insurance, interest and money reserved for future tax or insurance bills. Ask what each amount covers and which ownership expenses you will pay separately after closing.
- Identify the period covered by prepaid interest and insurance.
- Confirm which taxes and insurance are included in escrow.
- Budget separately for excluded HOA dues, utilities and other ownership costs.
Ask which services you can choose.
Section C on page 2 of the Loan Estimate lists services you can shop for. Request comparable written quotes and confirm that the lender will accept your provider. The CFPB also distinguishes lender’s title insurance, which protects the lender, from owner’s coverage, which protects your interest.
- Request the lender’s service-provider list and any selection deadline.
- Compare the full service total and coverage, not one isolated fee.
- Check whether changing providers changes a builder incentive.
Compare the final disclosure with the latest estimate.
For most mortgages covered by these rules, you must receive the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing. Compare it with the latest Loan Estimate and ask about changed terms or charges. Also request the note, security instrument and deed early enough for review.
- Confirm the loan amount, term, rate, payment and any penalty or balloon feature.
- Ask for the reason behind new fees, increased charges or missing credits.
- Have incorrect documents corrected before you sign them.
Verify the destination before moving money.
The CFPB warns that closing scams use impersonation and changed wiring instructions. Establish a trusted contact method in advance. Confirm payment instructions, including account details, through a previously verified phone number or in person—not a number supplied in the message asking you to send funds.
- Confirm the accepted payment method and transfer deadline with your closing professional.
- Independently verify any changed instructions before acting.
- If funds went to a suspected scammer, contact your bank or transfer provider immediately.
Review your documents in Settle.
Finn and Clara can explain supplied closing documents and flag questions in retrieved passages. Settle does not verify payment instructions, move funds or calculate an authoritative cash-to-close amount. Obtain the final payment figure directly from your closing professional.
- Latest Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure
- Deposit receipts and signed credit or incentive terms
- Itemized title, settlement and insurance quotes
- Draft note, security instrument and deed
Help me compare this Closing Disclosure with my latest Loan Estimate and credit agreement. Identify changed terms, unexplained charges and deposits or credits I need to confirm. Cite each document and prepare questions for the lender and closing professional.Get started
Sources checked September 6, 2026. Your contract, location and circumstances determine what applies. Builder examples are illustrations, not terms of your purchase. About these guides