Mortgage Down Payments Explained

Many people know the traditional formula of mortgage down payments – 20% of the purchase price of the home is required to get your mortgage.
A down payment is a lump sum payment used to make a large payment, like a house. In the traditional formula if you buy a $500,000 home you would pay a $100,000 down payment and you would get a loan for the remaining $400,000.
With today’s hot housing market, the 20% down may be a substantial obstacle, however there are many loan programs that require as little as 3% down. There are pluses and minuses to making the 20% down payment. With the traditional $20 down, you can often qualify for a lower rate, you won’t need to have mortgage insurance and you’ll have lower monthly rates.
The benefits of making a smaller down payment obviously is you won’t have to get the money for a large lump sum payment, so you can move in to a new home sooner and you’ll have money left for home improvements.
Contact us to see what programs you can qualify for and how much you’ll need to put down.