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Mortgage rates are hitting record lows, but some fees associated with buying a home are getting higher.
According to ""Bankrate.com's annual survey"":http://www.bankrate.com/finance/mortgages/2010-closing-costs/ of closing costs, origination and third-party fees on a $200,000 mortgage are now averaging $3,741. This marks a 36.6 percent increase over 2009's average.
[IMAGE] [COLUMN_BREAK]New York has the highest closing costs at $5,623, Bankrate reports, with Texas occupying the second spot at $4,708. Arkansas is the least expensive state at $3,007, as shown in the survey results.
The survey reported that fees charged directly by lenders went up 22.8 percent. However, fees charged by third parties, such as for appraisals and title insurance, rose even higher-by 47.2 percent.
Bankrate.com attributes this year's rise to the government requiring lenders to provide accurate good faith estimates (GFEs) on closing costs and penalizing them for ""low-balling"" fees. In previous years, lenders were not penalized for undervaluing costs.
Bankrate also reports that lenders' costs have risen due to having to allocate more time and labor to carefully analyzing every loan application, a process that was not generally practiced in previous years.
The 2010 survey excluded property taxes, recording fees, homeowners insurance, and prepaid items or discount points.
