Every buyer expects to haggle over the price of a home.

But if you know what to ask for, you can reduce your closing costs, too.

All of the fees you'll be expected to pay when your deal is finalized -- everything from title insurance to settlement fees -- can add 3% to 6% to the price of your home, depending on where you live.

Paying a little attention to those charges now can save you money at settlement time.

Our 6 smart moves to reduce closing costs will show you how.

Smart move 1. Shop around for cheaper services than your lender provides.

After you apply for a mortgage, the lender is required to provide a three-page Good Faith Estimate, or GFE, that itemizes all of the loan terms and closing costs.

The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) requires lenders to use a standardized form and makes it easier to identify those expenses.

But you don't have to use the surveyors, appraisers, insurers and inspection services the lender quotes on the GFE.

Shop around for a better deal on title insurance, surveys, appraisals and pest inspections.

If you find a reputable alternative, the lender will almost always accept it.

Smart move 2. Pick your settlement company.

Settlements are conducted by title insurance companies, escrow companies, real estate brokers or attorneys, depending on where you live.

Your real estate agent, mortgage broker or lender will undoubtedly point you toward an in-house or affiliated settlement firm.

But you have the right to choose who conducts the closing of your loan.

Independent settlement agencies often have more incentive to offer you a better price. The real estate agency's in-house firm will sometimes match competitor's discounted rates. So you simply can't lose by shopping around.

Consider the "customary" settlement charge the lender puts on your GFE as the price to beat.

Smart move 3. Take advantage of social media to find cheaper services.

Facebook is a great place to look for recommendations for settlement companies and vendors.

If your friend has made a recommendation about a particular service provider, point that out to the settlement company or vendor you're approaching. They want the repeat business, so it can be a way to get better prices and better service.

"It's unique to the Internet-savvy generation," says Lisa Johnson, a real estate agent in Haverhill, Mass. Sharing information via social media gives vendors the feeling "you're going to spread the information across the Web."

Smart move 4. Ask the seller to pay part, or all, of your closing costs.

It's a buyer's market, with a glut of homes competing for your attention. Savvy sellers know they must offer inducements, such as paying at least some closing costs, to seal a deal.

Most will start by offering to pay for specific services, such as an appraisal, home inspection or title company fees.

But you're better off asking for a specific dollar amount as part of your offer on the home. The closing costs then become part of the overall negotiations. Your real estate agent can guide you on what to ask for.

Be aware that your lender may have limits on how much the seller can contribute, based on the type of loan and the size of your down payment.

Smart move 5. Close near the end of the month to save on prepaid interest.

When you take out a new loan, you must prepay the interest that accrues from the date of the closing till the end of the month.

If, for example, you close on June 10, you'll have to write a check for 20 days worth of interest.

You can reduce that cost by scheduling the closing date closer to the end of the month. Set the closing for the last day of the month, and you'll owe no prepaid interest.

Smart move 6. Make sure the costs on your GFE and the settlement papers match up.

RESPA requires lenders to provide borrowers with their final settlement statement at least one day before the closing.

That allows you to go through all of the costs and compare them to what you were promised in the GFE.

If you accepted the lender's services, the new law forbids the lender from raising some costs and limits the increase on other charges to no more than 10%.

(Those limits don't apply if you hired your own appraiser, insurer or inspector. You're responsible for holding them to the prices they quoted.)

If the closing costs deviate more than RESPA allows, the lender must either cancel the closing or pay you the difference.

By and large, lenders have coughed up the cash rather than walk away from a pending home sale.

By Susan Ladika

Interest.com Contributing Editor