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All About Mortgage Down Payment — The Unique Advantages Of It

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All About Mortgage Down Payment — The Unique Advantages Of It

What is Mortgage Down Payment?

A sum of money that a buyer pays in the early stages of purchasing a home is called a mortgage down payment.

It is a portion of the total purchase price like an advance, and the buyer will often take out a loan to finance the balance.

How do Down Payments Work?

A common example of a down payment is a mortgage down payment that you pay when you buy a house.

Before taking out a mortgage from a bank or other financial institution the home buyer pays a percentage of the total price of the home upfront, and the mortgage covers the remainder.

It is similar in the case of down payments on car purchases. A down payment is also referred to as a deposit.

In some cases, if the deal fails because of the purchaser backing out the down payment is not refundable.

Examples of Down Payments

Home Purchases:

In the United States, the traditional standard of a down payment on a home has been 20%.

There are mortgage down payments with 10% or 15% as well, and the Federal Housing Administration FHA loans are ways to buy a home with as little as 3.5% down.

Cooperative apartments or co-ops, which are common in some cities is a place in which a larger down payment is often necessary.

Many lenders will insist on 25% down, and even though it is not the norm some high-end co-op properties may even require a 50% down payment.

Auto Purchases:

If you are purchasing a car a down payment of 20% or more can make it easier for a buyer to be approved for a loan and also get a better interest rate and other terms.

For buyers who qualify, car dealers may also offer promotional terms of 0% down. While that means it doesn’t require any down payment, it may also mean the lender will charge a higher interest rate on the loan.

The Advantage with a Large Down Payment

If you can afford to make a large down payment it will decrease the amount of interest you’ll pay over the life of the loan, resulting in lower monthly payments, and, in some cases, make insurance unnecessary. Here are the details:

Interest:

If you make a bigger down payment, you’ll have to borrow less and you’ll also pay less interest.

For instance, if you borrow a loan of $100,000 with a 5% interest rate, you’ll pay an interest of $5,000 in the first year alone.

However, if you put down $20,000 and borrow only $80,000, then your first-year interest will be $4,000 resulting in a saving of $1,000.

Over the long term, this difference is even more dramatic. Let us take the same example of borrowing $100,000 at 5% interest, it would cost you $93,256 in interest over a 30-year period.

And if you borrow just $80,000 then your total interest cost will be $74,605 saving you nearly $20,000 in long run.

Additionally, a lender may offer you a lower interest rate on your loan since you put more money down because you now represent less of a risk.

Monthly Payments:

A larger down payment will also reduce your monthly outlay. By taking the same example as above, a loan of $100,000 would require monthly payments of $537, while an $80,000 loan will result in $429.

Mortgage insurance:

While buying a home, a larger down payment can help you avoid having to pay for private mortgage insurance (PMI) which compensates your lender in case of non-payment of your loan.

Your lender will generally not require PMI if you put down 20% or more. If you have bought PMI, and once your equity in the home reaches 20% you can ask your lender to drop that requirement.

How much do you Need for a Down Payment?

Your lender or the seller will set a minimum for your down payment. Which generally will be a percentage of the purchase price.

While you can negotiate the amount in some instances, it is required for you to proceed with the transaction.

If you need to keep your monthly budget below a certain limit, it is ideal to make a larger down payment.

Alternatives to a Large Down Payment

There are other alternatives if a large down payment is beyond your budget. Loans with lower-than-customary down payments are widely available, the hitch being they can be more costly over time.

If you can’t come up with a large down payment on a home then one option is to borrow as much as you need to but plan to make additional payments toward your mortgage principal as time goes by.

This way you will reduce the amount you owe and pay off your mortgage faster. This process is called accelerated payment or accelerated amortization.

Refinancing your mortgage is another money-saving move.

Conclusion

A down payment is upfront money paid during a financial transaction.

If the buyer pays a higher down payment, he will need to borrow less to complete the transaction, and their monthly payments would be lower, and they would also need to pay less in interest over the long term.

Depending on the borrower and the type of purchase, lenders may require varying down payments from 0% to 50%.

You can put more than the minimum if you can afford which will yield some benefit.

Like in the case of auto loans if the down payment is 20% or more then you get a lower interest rate.

https://www.compareclosing.com/blog/all-about-mortgage-down-payment/

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