Pa. and N.J. are in the top 10 of closing costs, a survey says.

By Alan J. Heavens

Inquirer Real Estate Writer

It’s something few buyers appear to include when calculating the price of homeownership, but closing costs sometimes can be the tipping point in a sale.

Pennsylvania, it seems, is near the top of the list in settlement costs – No. 8, in fact, according to a recent survey by the real estate website Bankrate.com.

The total: an average $4,236.

New Jersey is a close No. 9 at $4,110.

The survey excludes property taxes, recording fees, homeowners’ insurance, and prepaid items such as a partial month’s mortgage interest.

It was based on a $200,000 loan with 20 percent down and good credit.

Holden Lewis of Bankrate.com said the website had been tracking settlement costs for about seven years, out of curiosity.