These fees can sometimes be financed and added to the mortgage amount.

They can add as much as 2 percent of the mortgage amount to your closing costs.

The buyer is then provided with 90 or even 95 percent of the $100,000 as a mortgage amount.

This lets someone whose house has decreased in value switch to keep the same mortgage amount at today's lower rates.

Closing costs are already very high, averaging 6 percent of the mortgage amount.

A point is 1 percent of the mortgage amount.

"It's kind of a free ride for the county if people don't look at the tax bill but just the mortgage amount," he added.

In some cases, he said, the costs are added to the mortgage amount, thereby making them payable - with interest - over the long run.

The city is participating with a loan at 1 percent interest for two-thirds of the mortgage amount.

Rents would be at 50-70% of the current mortgage amount.