Both the seller and buyer pay for closing costs, but they are different depending each side. For instance, buyers normally have to pay for origination fees from the lender, insurance, appraisal, attorney/title fees etc. Seller's also have to pay an attorney/title company to close, complete a smoke cert, recording costs etc. Normally closing costs amount to 1-2% of the purchase price for each side. One strategy I like to do is build in seller credits into my offers so the loan covers the closing costs, e.g. if you wanted to offer $500K for a property, offer $510K with $10K towards closing costs and that $10K is supported by the loan and can be used on the costs I mentioned above. I hope this helps!
@Lily Aldridge, Google search for preliminary settlement statement examples. Look for the borrower/buyer column on the ALTA (American Land Title Association). Under the borrower section, you will see comprehensive line-by-line items associated with buyer closing costs. This will provide a helpful visual so that it won't be as intimidating on your first purchase.