I found this interesting article in the USA Today regarding helping home buyers save money at closing and thought it would be helpful. Here’s the link and snippet as directly quoted from the article:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2009-06-11-home-costs-settlement_N.htm

“Home buyers dicker about appliances, cabinet styles and the move-in date but often question little when it comes to a pricey part of their purchase.

Closing costs — fees paid at settlement — can add up to thousands of dollars.

Yet, the costs and settlement process are mysterious for many. Half of mortgage applicants in a 2007 Federal Trade Commission study could not identify their loan amount on settlement forms.

How do bewildered buyers figure out what’s supposed to happen and what they should be paying? In many cases, they don’t, or they take the word of the title company and lender.

To make sure you don’t overpay when buying a house, keep in mind that an economical closing begins with a good opening: start preparing early in the house hunt.”