Who pays closing costs when selling a house in Rhode Island?

In a Rhode Island sale, both sides have closing costs, but they pay for different things. The seller typically pays the real estate commission (agreed up front and negotiable), the Rhode Island real estate conveyance tax of about $2.30 per $500 of the sale price (roughly 0.46 percent, so about $2,300 on a $500,000 sale), their own attorney if they use one, and any agreed buyer credits or repairs. The buyer typically pays lender fees, the closing attorney, title insurance, the title search, recording fees, and prepaid escrow for taxes and insurance. Who pays which item is customary, not fixed by law, so it can be negotiated as part of the deal. In a competitive market sellers sometimes offer a closing-cost credit to help a buyer, which effectively shifts some cost back to the seller. If you are selling, the commission and conveyance tax are usually the two largest costs to plan for. To see your take-home number after all of it, use the seller net proceeds calculator, and for the conveyance tax specifically read the Rhode Island conveyance tax explained.