How to Get Down Payment Assistance for a Mortgage

Buying a house is really exciting for both younger buyers and first-time buyers. A very critical thing that really stands like a pillar while you are in the process of buying a home is down payment. In accordance with a recent survey done, around 62% of people who wanted to get a new house told that they couldn’t afford any sort of down payment. Down payment assistance means several assistance programs that are designed to make traditional renters homeowners so they can build equity. Down payment assistance is a great option that should be taken into consideration in the event you are planning to buy a brand-new home but struggling with high interest premiums and down payments. However, it is very crucial to know and understand all the sets of rules and regulations for assistance, especially loan qualification and its positives and negatives.

Working Principle Of Assistance To Down Payments

The programs for assistance provided for down payments help all the would-be homeowners with some sort of money that can partially cover up their initial down payment amount. Some of the programs even covers closing costs too. Typically, the money that is being paid at the closing is often taken care of by the lender. Assistance to down payment programs generally comes from several sources- including county, state, city, non-profit agencies, and even the federal government. In most cases, these sources aren’t publicized properly. The availability of these programs completely depends on where and how a homebuyer plans to get a house. For example, in the Mignault’s home state in Texas, the Community and Housing Affairs Department offers a closing cost and down payment assistance of around five percent against the whole of loan, especially for qualified buyers.

Home Down Payment Assistance comes in three different forms:

  • Matched or Similar Saving programs.
  • Grants for home down payments.
  • Forgivable second time mortgage programs.

Matched Saving Programs: In general, these types of matched savings program works a bit differently. Here you need to make a typical contribution to a particular down payment savings account and then the matching entity which could be a partnered bank, or a government or a non-profit organization makes a similar type of contribution.

Grants For Home Down Payment: Grants for home down payment helps home buyers with closing costs or down payment assistance that doesn’t require the borrow to pay back said amount. Examples of some of the nationally available grants include Dream Makers Military Hero’s fund offering around $5000 as down payment grant money to military veterans. Apart from that, there are other non-profit organizations such as the National Homebuyers Fund that helps new homeowners with around six percent of the total loan amount.

Forgivable Second Time Mortgage Programs: In case you get disqualified for the down payment grants or matched savings programs you can still consider the forgivable second mortgage program. Though the second time mortgage programs may have a variable interest contingency, a forgivable second mortgage program might offer zero-interest loans and that too can be forgiven after meeting certain requirements. For instance, the New York state mortgage agency generally offers a forgivable second time mortgage amount at simply 0% interest rate requiring any monthly payments. It is mostly forgiven after a long wait of ten years of using agency financing while the owner continues occupying the home.

Finding And Qualifying Down Payment Assistance Programs

Finding the exact type of home down payment assistance can be of great help in buying a property, but it is also true that not all home buyers qualify for it. The place where you live and the amount you make can surely influence your overall eligibility for these down payment assistance programs. However, it is very common to miss out on such programs that you are eligible for by not knowing about their existence. You can contact Urban House Realty and can readily find out all the down payment assistance programs that are available in your residential area. Narrowing the down payment assistance program further, remember that all your eligibility criteria can make a real difference in you getting approved for the program and the assistance level that you are going to receive. No matter if you are a repeat buyer or a first-time buyer, you can always make a difference. Nearly sixty percent of all down payment assistance programs are geared towards the first time home buyers. Some of the critical factors that come into play include:

  • The home buyers overall credit score and credit history.
  • The home buyers debt to income ratio.
  • If the buyer has completed all the homebuyer education program.
  • If the buyer has a special veteran or military status.
  • If the buyer is employed in a public service position.

Apart from all these, there can be other sorts of guidelines that need to be observed even for the property itself. For example, there can be certain home structures that might not come under assistance and even it might not be available above a certain loan amount. Department of Veterans Affairs even offers some type of VA loans that can give the veteran home buyer a hundred percent of the amount. Apart from that USDA loans also provides the same for all the income-eligible buyers especially those you are residing in the rural areas.

If you have plans to buy a brand-new property in cities such as Scottsdale, Gilbert, Phoenix, or Tempe, try to consider UrbanHouse Realty. Our agents at UHR have immense knowledge and years of experience in dealing with all sorts of property acquisitions. No matter if you are a first-time property buyer or a well-versed investor, our team at UHR has got all the patience and expertise that can be of great help in catering to your purchase.