Definition of "Down Payment"

Blaine Goins real estate agent

Written by

Blaine Goinselite badge icon

Georgia Evans Realty

In general, a Down payment is a one-time payment a buyer makes to diminish the risks of the seller of expensive goods like a car, or a house. In Real Estate, the home buyer makes a down payment right off the bat and, then, honors the mortgage loan in monthly installments.

Down payments in Real Estate are usually calculated by observing the difference between the value of the property and the mortgage loan amount, and, then, expressed in dollars or as a percentage of the full value.

For example: if a house is valued at $100,000 and the loan is for $80,000; the down payment is $20,000 or 20%. In America, that value is usually between 3.5 to 20%.

But this definition is dependant on a lot of factors, like credit score and, sometimes, debt-to-income ratio. The higher the down payment, the lower the premiums (the amount of money you pay for each monthly installment) because the less the risk the seller/lender has of losing money should you default.

Real Estate Tips:

You can become an expert in one shot or through several installments... be our guest; accessing our glossary terms and finding a local real estate agent via our agent directory is 100% free!

Comments for Down Payment

ALAN PE BENITO ALAN PE BENITO said:

How to buy a property without downpayment?

Apr 03, 2019  09:20:56

 
Realty Agent Hub

When you are looking for a mortgage with no down payment, it means that you expect the lender to cover the entire purchase, so the loan-to-value ratio is 100%. It also means that your credit risk is huge and our real estate agents will tell you that it's very hard to buy real estate with no money down. There are only three 0 down home loans available in the US. Veterans, active duty service members, National Guard members and reservists may qualify for a VA loan. Another option would be the USDA loans for rural areas. And the third one - the Navy Federal Credit Union 100% Financing. You should know that there are conventional mortgages that allow only a down payment of 3%, so an LTV of 97% but private mortgage insurance (PMI) is required for a few years. FHA loans allow very low down payments of only 3.5% if you have a good credit score. Maybe you should try to save some money for a few years to have more options at hand. 

Apr 04, 2019  06:25:25
 
 
image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Mortgage Terms

A lender who delivers loans to another (usually larger) lender against prior price commitments the larger lender has made to the correspondent. Mortgage brokers sometimes evolve into ...

A documentation rule where the borrower discloses assets and their source but the lender does not verify the amount. ...

Equations used to derive common measures used in the mortgage market, such as monthly payment, balance, and APR. ...

The minimum allowable ratio of down payment to sale price on any loan program. If the minimum is 10%, for example, it means that you must make a down payment of at least $10,000 on a ...

The dollar amount of interest paid each month. The interest payment is the same as interest due so long as the scheduled mortgage payment is equal to or greater than the interest due. ...

A sale price below market value, where the difference is a gift from the sellers to the buyers. Such gifts are usually between family members. Lenders will usually allow the gift to count ...

A documentation rule where the borrower discloses income and its source but the lender does not verify the amount. ...

The lender's risk that, between the time a lock commitment is given to the borrower and the time the loan is closed, interest rates will rise and the lender will take a loss on selling ...

A document that evidences a debt and a promise to repay. A mortgage loan transaction always includes a note evidencing the debt, and a mortgage evidencing the lien on the property. ...

Popular Mortgage Questions