Recording fees refer to charges fixed as payment by a government agency for registering or recording the sale or acquisition of a piece of real estate which includes lands and other permanent attachments and modifications to the said land.
The recording fees take care of the costs of the services of the recording agency or officers that compile and record all documents. These agencies are responsible for recording complete and accurate copies of a wide range of documents related to real estate transactions. These documents include mortgages, deeds, affidavits, leases, changes of title, bills of sale, claims of lien, and so on (over 100 types of documents can be recorded).
These documents are important to you as a new homeowner and protect you from ownership disputes that may arise in the future and also help you avoid severe legal and financial consequences. It is important to have a record of your real estate transactions even if you are not required to do so. If you don’t pay for the recording, the record offices at your county would still have the previous owner of the property on their records and if a legal battle arises, you would most likely be at a disadvantage.
The recording fees may also vary with the size or bulkiness of the documents being recorded.
Recording Fees in Arizona
On average, the recording fees in the United States of America cost about $125 but the recording fees are determined by the county in which the real estate acquisition is taking place and may vary across counties and from state to state.
Since the 1st of July, 2019, Arizona state charges a flat rate of $30.00 for recording a complete document in all county recording offices across the state of Arizona.
This removes the need to calculate recording fees, which were previously based on and now are inclusive of the number of pages the document may contain, supplementary indexing categories, additional referencing recordation numbers on a document, dispatching the recorded document back to the customer via mail, and the additional fees for the Affidavit of Real Property Value mandated by the State of Arizona.
The new fees do not affect the fees for maps which will remain unchanged according to the Arizona Revised Statutes Title 11. Counties § 11-481 which would cost an additional $20. Recording companies may also put on an additional surcharge.
Who Typically Pays Recording Fees in Arizona?
Recording fees make up part of the closing costs of the deal and are usually taken care of by the buyer. Nevertheless, it is not unheard of for the seller to take care of the costs either in part or in full if an agreement is reached between the buyer and the seller.
What are the Recording Fees in Maricopa County, Arizona State?
Due to the uniform recording fees implemented by the state of Arizona in 2019, the recording fees within the state do not vary across counties. Therefore, the recording fees for house sales in Maricopa County are the same as other counties in the state which is $30.
Recording Fees are an essential part of the closing process of a real estate transaction. Having the deed in hand establishes your ownership of a property but paying your county for recording puts the public on notice about your ownership and can be of great value if an ownership dispute arises.
Moving to Arizona in 2021?
Tammy Gazda is a seasoned real estate agent with over 2 decades of experience in the Arizona real estate market. If you plan on moving to Arizona in 2021, starting a conversation with an experienced and trustworthy real estate agent is the first step in the right direction.
Call Tammy today at (480)-848-7173.