Westchester Real Estate
In Westchester, the transfer-tax answer and building-record trail can depend on the exact city, town, or village. Identify both before you sign.
Local Diligence
For a White Plains property, the Building Department’s records form identifies the parcel by section, block, and lot or address and includes active permits and violations in its search results. Ask for the records for the actual municipality and compare them with the property and contract.
Do not assume a county-wide local tax rule. Yonkers publishes its own transfer-tax rule for real-property sales inside the city, while co-op unit sales are excluded under the city’s published guidance. Confirm the property’s municipality before estimating costs.
Before You Sign
Before signing, pin down whether the property is in a city, town, or village; request the relevant municipal building records; compare permits and violations with the seller’s information; and have counsel review the contract’s tax and closing-cost allocation.
Before signing, identify the governing municipality, collect available building and permit records, check payoff and municipal-charge figures, and review the contract’s transfer-tax allocation. If the property is in Yonkers, confirm whether the city tax applies to this property type.
Transfer Taxes
New York State’s base transfer tax is $2 per $500 or fraction when consideration exceeds $500. The separate residential mansion tax is 1% when consideration is $1 million or more.
Yonkers has a separate city transfer tax: 1.5% of the selling price, paid by the seller, on real-property sales inside Yonkers. No Yonkers tax is due on a sale of $25,000 or less; the city says co-op unit sales are excluded.
That local rate is specific to Yonkers; it is not a Westchester County-wide rate. Check the applicable city, town, or village and the property type before relying on an estimate.
Use the closing-cost calculator for a planning estimate, and the CEMA calculator if you are considering a refinance. These tools provide estimates; transaction documents and current figures determine the actual closing costs.
Legal Fees
Fees vary by transaction. Third-party costs are separate and itemized.
Westchester Questions
The 1.5% rate is Yonkers’ city tax, not a county-wide rate. Check the property’s municipality and type before estimating local transfer tax.
Yonkers says sales of co-op units are not subject to its city transfer tax. Confirm the property type and municipality for the specific transaction.
For White Plains, the city’s building-record search form identifies active permits and violations. For other municipalities, contact the building department that covers the address to confirm the available records and request process.
No. The closing-cost calculator and CEMA calculator give estimates. Final figures depend on the transaction documents and current charges.