When do I know exactly what my overall costs are and how much I will need to bring to closing?

Since there are many facets to closing on a mortgage and many entities that contribute, such as title, settlement, escrows, etc. it takes time to gather all the information, and consequently the costs, that would be related to your particular home in your particular township for a closing. Because of this, your New Jersey Mortgage lender will provide you at the time of application a Loan Estimate which will be used to approximate the costs. There are legal tolerances that NJ mortgage lenders are required to maintain with these forms. The purpose is to give you a decent idea of how the fees and money required at closing will pan out. By law again, your lender will provide you with an initial Closing Disclosure 3 days before closing. This form will have most of the fees finalized however is still subject to minor changes for closing. Usually within 24 hours of your closing is when you receive your final numbers on your final Closing Disclosure which will represent an exact accounting of costs and money due (if any) at your closing.