Guides
Iowa Real Estate Closing Blog
Plain-English answers about Iowa closings: transfer tax, abstracts, Iowa Title Guaranty, property taxes and the forms that go with a deed.
TAXES
Iowa Real Estate Transfer Tax: Rate, Payer, Exemptions
Iowa transfer tax is $0.80 per $500 over the first $500 of the price, paid by the seller when the deed is recorded. Examples and exemptions.
READ GUIDE →
TITLE
What Is an Abstract of Title in Iowa?
An abstract of title is the written history of an Iowa property. What it contains, who pays to update it and what to do if it is lost.
READ GUIDE →
TITLE
Why Iowa Has No Private Title Insurance
Iowa has barred private title insurance since 1947. How abstracts, title opinions and Iowa Title Guaranty protect buyers and lenders instead.
READ GUIDE →
TITLE
Iowa Title Guaranty: What It Costs and Covers
Iowa Title Guaranty is $175 on most homes, and the owner certificate is free with a lender certificate. Owner vs lender coverage explained.
READ GUIDE →
CLOSING COSTS
Who Pays Closing Costs in Iowa?
In Iowa the seller usually pays transfer tax and the abstract; the buyer pays the title opinion, recording and Title Guaranty. A full breakdown.
READ GUIDE →
TAXES
How Property Taxes Are Prorated at an Iowa Closing
Iowa property taxes are paid a year behind, so the seller credits the buyer at closing. How the credit is calculated, with an example.
READ GUIDE →
TAXES
Iowa’s New Homestead Exemption: What Changes in 2027
From taxes payable September 2027, Iowa replaces the homestead credit with an exemption of 10% of taxable value. What owners should do.
READ GUIDE →
CLOSING COSTS
Iowa Recording Fees for Deeds and Mortgages
Iowa recording fees are the same in all 99 counties: $7 for the first page, $5 for each added page, plus a $5 auditor fee on deeds.
READ GUIDE →
DOCUMENTS
Iowa Deed Forms: Declaration of Value & Groundwater
Two forms go with most Iowa deeds: the Declaration of Value and the Groundwater Hazard Statement. What each asks and when it is required.
READ GUIDE →
TITLE
Form 900: The Faster Title Report for Iowa Refinances
Form 900 is a short-form title report used in place of a full abstract continuation on qualifying Iowa refinances. Who qualifies and who does not.
READ GUIDE →
TITLE
Iowa Title Guaranty vs. Title Insurance: The Differences
Moving to Iowa or lending here? How Iowa Title Guaranty differs from title insurance in who issues it, what it needs and what it costs.
READ GUIDE →
TITLE
What Is an Attorney’s Title Opinion in Iowa?
In Iowa an attorney examines the abstract and gives a written title opinion before closing. What it says, who pays and what objections mean.
READ GUIDE →
TITLE
Lost Your Abstract of Title in Iowa? What to Do
Cannot find the abstract for your Iowa home? Where to look, who might be holding it and how a replacement abstract is created.
READ GUIDE →
TITLE
Buying a House With Cash in Iowa: Title and Closing
Paying cash for an Iowa home? You still need the abstract examined and can get an Iowa Title Guaranty owner certificate for $175.
READ GUIDE →
CLOSING COSTS
Refinancing in Iowa: Closing Costs and Title Work
Iowa refinance costs: no mortgage tax, $7 plus $5 per page recording, a $175 Title Guaranty lender certificate and the Form 900 option.
READ GUIDE →
TAXES
Does Iowa Have a Mortgage Tax or Doc Stamps?
No. Iowa has no mortgage tax, intangibles tax or documentary stamps on a loan. The only state tax at closing is the seller’s transfer tax.
READ GUIDE →
TAXES
The Iowa Property Tax Rollback, Explained
Iowa taxes homes on less than half their assessed value. How the residential rollback works, the current percentages and a worked example.
READ GUIDE →
TAXES
When Are Iowa Property Taxes Due?
Iowa property taxes are due in two halves, September and March, and become delinquent October 1 and April 1. The full calendar explained.
READ GUIDE →
TAXES
Iowa’s Age 65 Homestead Exemption: Who Qualifies
Iowa homeowners 65 and older get an extra $6,500 exemption from taxable value on top of the regular homestead benefit. How to apply.
READ GUIDE →
DOCUMENTS
Iowa’s Seller Disclosure Statement: What Sellers Owe
Iowa sellers of one-to-four unit homes must give buyers a disclosure statement before an offer. Timing, the buyer’s right to withdraw and more.
READ GUIDE →
DOCUMENTS
Iowa’s Septic Inspection Rule for Home Sales
Selling an Iowa home with a septic system? State law requires a time-of-transfer inspection before the deed can be recorded. Exemptions too.
READ GUIDE →
CLOSING
Remote Online Notarization in Iowa: How It Works
Iowa has allowed remote online notarization since July 1, 2020. What the law requires of the notary and when a closing can be signed remotely.
READ GUIDE →
CLOSING
Who Can Conduct a Real Estate Closing in Iowa?
Iowa requires closing agents to be licensed by the Division of Banking, with exemptions for attorneys, banks and brokers. What the law says.
READ GUIDE →
CLOSING
Earnest Money in Iowa: Who Holds It and What Happens
How earnest money works in an Iowa home purchase: who holds the deposit, how it is applied at closing and how to send it safely.
READ GUIDE →
CLOSING
Selling a House in Iowa: A Closing Checklist
What an Iowa seller needs before closing: the abstract, disclosures, the Groundwater Hazard Statement, payoff, transfer tax and the tax credit.
READ GUIDE →
Contact Us
Did We Miss Your Question?
Leave your name, phone and email and our team will get back to you.
Free Iowa Title & Closing Calculators
Estimate your closing numbers in seconds. Free, instant, no signup.
Closing Cost
Every buyer and seller line item
→
Seller Net Sheet
What the seller walks away with
→
Buyer Cash-to-Close
What the buyer brings to closing
→
Transfer Tax
$0.80 per $500 over the first $500
→
Recording Fee
Deed and mortgage recording
→
Title Guaranty
Owner and lender certificates
→
Property Tax Proration
The seller’s tax credit to the buyer
→
Property Tax Estimator
Rollback, levy and homestead
→
Homestead Credit & Exemption
Credit, new exemption and age 65+
→
Inherited House Sale
Net to the estate and each heir
→
Mortgage Payment
Principal, interest, tax and insurance
→
Rent vs. Buy
Break-even year for buying
→
Contract Date
Lay out your contract dates
→
FIRPTA Withholding
Withholding on a foreign seller
→