Massachusetts closing costs for buyers and sellers of Back Bay homes

What do Massachusetts closing costs include?

Closing costs are the fees and taxes paid at the transfer of a home, on top of the price. In Massachusetts a few of them are fixed by statute or by the Registry of Deeds, so you can calculate them to the dollar. The rest are priced by attorneys, title insurers, lenders and inspectors, and you get them as quotes. The table below sorts the main items by side and by how the amount is set.

Who pays what is ultimately set by your purchase and sale agreement, so treat the middle column as the usual allocation, not a rule. A Massachusetts real estate attorney can confirm the split for your deal.

Buyer closing costs in Massachusetts

A buyer's costs cluster around the loan and the title. At typical 02116 values a purchase with 20% down needs a jumbo loan, whose lender requirements are stricter; the jumbo loan requirements for a Back Bay purchase explain why.

Recording the deed and mortgage

The Suffolk County Registry of Deeds charges $155 to record a deed or unit deed and $205 to record a mortgage. A declaration of trust costs $255 to record, which applies if you buy through a nominee or realty trust. These are the only buyer costs on this list that are fixed in advance.

Lender's title insurance

If you borrow, your lender will require a lender's title insurance policy, which protects the lender's mortgage against defects in title such as an unpaid lien or a recording error. It is a one-time premium paid at closing. Ask your attorney or the title agent for the premium on your loan amount.

Owner's title insurance

An owner's policy is optional and protects your equity rather than the lender's loan. Get the premium as a quote alongside the lender's policy and decide with your attorney whether to buy it.

Attorney fees

Massachusetts closings are conducted by attorneys. The attorney who represents the lender usually runs the closing, examines title and records the documents, and you may also hire your own attorney to review the purchase and sale agreement and the condo documents. Both fees are quotes; ask what each covers before you sign.

Lender fees, appraisal and inspections

Origination charges, points, the appraisal and any second appraisal (some jumbo lenders require two), and a home inspection are all priced by the provider. Your lender's Loan Estimate lists its own fees. None of these were verified as standard amounts, so compare written quotes.

Homestead declaration

Under the Massachusetts Homestead Act (M.G.L. c. 188), an owner-occupant automatically has $125,000 of equity protected from many creditors. Recording a Declaration of Homestead under s. 3 raises that to $500,000, and owners 62 or older or disabled can each claim $500,000 under s. 2. The Suffolk Registry charges $35 to record it, and it can be signed and recorded at closing. It does not protect against the mortgage, taxes, pre-existing liens or support orders, and it stays in effect after a refinance.

Municipal lien certificate

Before closing, the attorney obtains a municipal lien certificate from the City of Boston, which shows whether property taxes and other municipal charges on the home are paid. The Suffolk Registry charges $80 to record it. Any unpaid amount it shows is settled out of the seller's proceeds so that the buyer takes the home clear of it.

Prorated property tax and condo fees

Boston bills property tax quarterly, and the attorneys split the current bill between buyer and seller by the closing date. The same is done with the monthly condo fee. The tax itself is explained in the Boston property tax and residential exemption guide. If you take an escrow account with your lender, you usually also fund the first months of tax and insurance at closing.

Seller closing costs in Massachusetts

A seller's costs are fewer but larger, led by the deed excise. If you are deciding when and how to list, what selling a Back Bay brownstone involves covers pricing and preparation.

Deed excise tax

Massachusetts levies an excise on every deed under M.G.L. c. 64D, s. 1, at a base of $2 per $500 of consideration (or fraction of $500) when the price exceeds $100. The Suffolk County Registry of Deeds states the effective rate is $2.28 per $500, or $4.56 per $1,000. The Registry requires the excise as a separate check payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and takes only cash, checks or money orders, not cards. This is the Massachusetts transfer tax; there is no separate Boston transfer tax in force.

Mortgage discharge

If the seller has a mortgage, the payoff comes out of the sale proceeds and the discharge is recorded for $105 at the Suffolk Registry.

6(d) certificate for a condo

When you sell a condo unit, the condo association issues a statement under M.G.L. c. 183A, s. 6(d) showing any unpaid common charges. Once recorded, it clears the unit of liens for other sums then unpaid, which is why lenders require it. The association must furnish it within ten business days of a written request on payment of a "reasonable fee"; the statute sets no dollar amount. What it contains and how to order it is covered in the 6(d) certificate explainer.

Smoke and carbon monoxide certificate

Under M.G.L. c. 148, s. 26F, a seller of a residential building built before 1975 with one to five units needs a smoke detector Certificate of Compliance, and under s. 26F1/2 every residential sale needs a carbon monoxide certificate. Back Bay's 19th-century rowhouses all predate 1975. The Boston Fire Department requires at least 10 business days' notice and payment before it schedules the inspection, and advises applying as soon as the purchase and sale agreement is signed. Confirm the current fee with the BFD when you book.

Broker commission

The commission is set by agreement between the seller and the brokerage. It is negotiable, and there is no standard rate.

Seller's attorney

A seller's attorney prepares the deed, reviews the purchase and sale agreement and handles the mortgage payoff. The fee is a quote.

Deed excise on a Back Bay condo and house

Because the tax is charged per $500 or fraction of $500, you divide the price by 500, round up to the next whole number, and multiply by $2.28. These examples use Zillow's typical values for ZIP 02116 in August 2026.

A straight $4.56 per $1,000 on the condo price gives $5,923.36; the fraction rule adds 8 cents. The Suffolk Registry's online excise calculator gives the figure your closing attorney will use. On the condo, add a $105 discharge if there is a mortgage, the 6(d) certificate fee and the smoke and CO certificate fee for the seller's fixed costs, before attorney fees and commission.

Is there a Boston transfer tax or mansion tax?

Not as of this writing. Boston has proposed a real estate transfer fee, but it is not law.

Boston's proposed transfer fee

The City Council passed a home rule petition on April 15, 2026 that would let Boston charge sellers a fee of up to 2% on sales over $2 million, with the first $2 million exempt. It was filed in the Legislature as H.5464, "An Act relative to real estate transfer fees and senior property tax relief in the city of Boston", and referred to the House Committee on Revenue on May 28, 2026. That was its latest recorded action when checked. A home rule petition needs the Legislature's approval and the governor's signature before it takes effect.

Statewide mansion tax

No statewide mansion tax or local-option transfer fee was found enacted in Massachusetts. The deed excise above is the transfer tax that applies to a Back Bay sale today. Check the bill's status on malegislature.gov before relying on either answer.

How a Massachusetts closing works, step by step

1. Offer and purchase and sale agreement. The P&S sets the price, deposit, closing date and who pays which costs.
2. Order the documents. The seller requests the 6(d) certificate (allow ten business days) and books the smoke and CO inspection (at least 10 business days' notice) right after the P&S is signed.
3. Title and loan. The closing attorney examines title, the lender orders the appraisal, and you receive the closing figures before the closing.
4. Closing. Documents are signed, funds move, and the deed excise is paid by separate check to the Commonwealth.
5. Recording. The deed, mortgage, discharge, 6(d) certificate and any homestead are recorded at the Suffolk Registry.

How to estimate closing costs on a specific price

No percentage rule was verified for Massachusetts, so build the estimate from the items instead of applying a percentage:

• Fixed fees: recording ($155 deed, $205 mortgage, $105 discharge, $35 homestead).
• Deed excise (seller): price divided by 500, rounded up, times $2.28.
• Quotes: title insurance, attorney fees, lender fees, appraisal and inspection.
• Prorations: property tax and condo fee for the part of the period after closing.

To see how the loan payment and monthly tax add up after closing, try the Back Bay mortgage and tax calculator. If you are comparing homes on different blocks, the Back Bay street-by-street guide shows how condos and whole houses are spread across the neighborhood.

Loan Estimate

If you borrow, the lender must give you a Loan Estimate within three business days of receiving your application, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The three-page form shows the estimated rate, the monthly payment and the total closing costs for the loan, plus estimated taxes and insurance. Ask two or three lenders for one on the same day and compare the closing-cost pages line by line.

Closing Disclosure

The lender must give you the Closing Disclosure, a five-page form with the final loan terms and closing costs, at least three business days before you close. Use those days to check it against your Loan Estimate and ask the lender and the closing attorney about any figure that moved.

Seller figures

A seller gets no Loan Estimate. Ask your attorney for a draft of the seller side of the settlement before closing, with the mortgage payoff, the deed excise, the discharge recording fee, the condo and tax prorations and any agreed credit to the buyer, so the net proceeds are known before the closing day.

How much do sellers usually pay toward the buyer's closing costs?

No fixed amount. A seller credit toward the buyer's costs is negotiated in the offer and written into the purchase and sale agreement, and the buyer's lender then decides how much of it can be used. For conforming loans, Fannie Mae's Selling Guide caps these "interested party contributions" on a principal residence or second home by loan-to-value ratio, measured on the lower of the price or the appraised value:

A credit can pay closing costs and prepaid items, but under the same guide it cannot go toward the down payment or the cash reserves the lender requires, and any amount above the cap is treated as a price reduction. Most Back Bay purchases with 20% down need a jumbo loan, which Fannie Mae does not buy, so the jumbo lender sets its own limit; ask for it in writing before you agree a credit.

Common closing cost mistakes

• Ordering the 6(d) certificate or the fire inspection late, which can push the closing date.
• Budgeting from a national percentage instead of quotes for title insurance and attorney fees.
• Forgetting that the excise must be a separate check; the Registry takes no cards.
• Treating Boston's proposed transfer fee as law before the Legislature acts on it.
• Skipping the Declaration of Homestead, which costs $35 to record.

This page explains how Massachusetts closing costs work; it is not legal advice. Confirm your costs and the split with a Massachusetts real estate attorney.

Frequently asked questions