Oklahoma Is An Abstracting State

What this means is closing costs are higher than I am used to.

Actually, I spoke with the escrow agent and got some more details. Oklahoma is one of the last states in the nation that uses Abstracts. An Abstract is a book that lists the original grant and all subsequent conveyances and encumbrances on the property. When you buy a property or get a lien on it, this book has to be updated and then run past a lawyer. You can image the extra costs that incurs. So a rough estimate of my closing costs, including title insurance, is around $1,200, which is roughly half of what they would be here in Arizona.

The good news is that if I use the same escrow company for the refinance, many of these charges can be waived or reduced if the refi happens within 6 months or the purchase. And I will not need to purchase buyer's title insurance on the refi since it stays in effect forever as long as I am the owner. This is similar to buying title insurance here in Arizona and requesting the policy be kept open for and flip.