让我们从现实开始. 房子很贵. Prices hit record highs in the past two years and now interest rates are also rising. 现在几乎每个人都很难买房, but it’s especially difficult for first-time homebuyers who don’t have the funds from a previous home sale to support their new purchase.

2021年3月，华盛顿州购房者需要 平均现金76,800美元 以10%的首付和平均3%的成交费买房子, 根据全国房地产经纪人协会的数据, 从那以后，价格一直在上涨.

然而，问题是: Do you really 需要 more than $76,000 in down payment cash to buy a home and get a mortgage?

It’s complicated, but the short answer is, no, your down payment doesn’t 需要 有那么多.

但应该是这样吗?? 也许.

这取决于你的目标和经济状况, there are many ways to buy a home and they don’t always involve throwing everything you have into that initial down payment. So, 让我们看看最佳实践, 你应该努力达到的目标, 现实的选择, 当然也有一些例外.

最佳实践和20%规则

You’ve probably heard that 20% of the home price is the recommended down payment amount. 这是因为房利美和房地美, 这两个国会创建的机构旨在为抵押贷款提供保险, require a 20% down payment to back a mortgage and protect lenders from defaults. 这是把钱留在系统里的一种方式. 抵押贷款保险降低了贷款人的风险, allowing them to lend more money so homebuyers can continue to borrow more and buy more.

因为房利美和房地美为大多数抵押贷款提供担保, 20%的首付款已经成为一个标准目标, 至少理论上是这样, 其中包括对买家的主要激励措施. 当房利美或房地美为你的抵押贷款提供保险时，你就不必这么做了.

如果你的抵押贷款没有得到这两家机构的担保, 或者其他机构, 你可能被要求支付你自己的保险. 最常见的类型叫做 私人按揭保险 (PMI). This additional insurance payment is an extra cost that is usually added to your monthly mortgage payment. 根据房地美(Freddie Mac)的说法，你可以期望支付的PMI值为 每月30到150美元 每借10万美元.

好消息是:如果你有传统贷款, 哪一种贷款不属于任何特定的政府项目, most lenders will drop the PMI after you reach 80% loan-to-value ratio (LTV). 换句话说，一旦你拥有大约20%的股份 房屋权益，你不再需要支付额外的保险.

20%的现实选择

如果20%的首付款似乎不可行，还有其他选择. 毕竟，典型的首付款是 首次购房者7% 根据全国房地产经纪人协会(National Association of Realtors)的数据，到2021年.

Applying for a conventional loan with less than a 20% down payment and paying the PMI until you reach 80% LTV is a good option for people who can afford slightly higher mortgage payments and don’t want to throw all of their cash reserves into the down payment.

许多传统银行, credit unions and other mortgage lenders offer loans for mortgages with down payments beginning at 5%. 有些会低至3%, and a few others will offer loans with a 0% down payment if you have good credit.

另一个选择可能是申请非常规贷款, 哪一种贷款通常是通过政府项目提供的. If you have less than 5% for a down payment and are having difficulty finding a lender, you may be eligible for a mortgage through the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), 退伍军人事务(VA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), or other state and local government-sponsored programs. 其中一些项目甚至可能提供零首付贷款.

If you go the nonconventional loan route, just be sure to pay attention to how the fees work. Some of these loans may have higher-than-usual fees and be more expensive than other loans in the long run. 例如, 如果你的贷款是通过联邦住房管理局, 你可能需要支付按揭保险费(MIP), 相当于PMI, 在贷款期限内, 在你达到20%的股权之后. 同时, one of these programs may be exactly what you 需要 to get your foot through the door of homeownership and equity building.

当你有选择的时候:高首付的优势

If you are still struggling to come up with an exact down payment number and are weighing your options, 通常有更多的理由去放下更多而不是更少, 特别是如果你打算拥有你的房子几年. Even a 1% increase in down payment can make a difference in your mortgage.

较高首付款的一些好处:

• The total loan amount is lower and the monthly mortgage payment is lower.
• The lower the amount owed, the lower the total interest payment — in short, the home costs less.
• 贷款人可能会认为你的抵押贷款风险较小, giving you more lenders to choose from and more options to negotiate rates.
• If you have a monthly mortgage budget, you can get a more expensive home with a higher down payment.
• With a high down payment and good credit, you may be able to negotiate for a better interest rate.
• A high down payment could give you an advantage in a bid — 根据全国房地产经纪人协会的数据, 10.投标失败的8% in the first quarter of 2021 were due to offers with higher down payments.

在一般情况下, 能付多少就付多少, 即使这个比例不到20%, 是个好主意, 尤其是如果你打算把房子保留一段时间的话. 你付的钱越多，你在贷款期间还的钱就越少.

一个警告:优先考虑储备

A high down payment may be goal-worthy in many situations, but it simply may not make sense for you. 如果首付削减了你的储备基金，那就低一点.

首先试着预测你可能需要什么. 熔炉打破, 屋顶需要更换了, and termites have been known to quietly eat away at the structural wood of a house, 只有在大面积破坏后才会被发现. 在某一时刻, 你可能需要花一大笔钱来修理, 而且你需要手头有现金. Tying all of your money into a down payment for higher 房屋权益 might mean not having the available cash for unexpected bills or emergencies. Consider how much cash reserves you might 需要, then determine a realistic down payment.

如果你决定低首付的话, it may be helpful to remember that the resulting larger loan may not create a significant difference in your monthly mortgage payments. 房子最终会花更多的钱, but dividing a large sum of money into monthly payments over thirty years might make the extra cost manageable and tolerable. On a month-to-month basis, it may not feel like much of an additional burden.

当少即是多

Smaller down payments might also be strategic if you are considering short-term living arrangements or thinking of your home as a short-term investment. 即使有PMI, you could get a good rate of return if the home quickly increases in value and then is sold. 但风险是存在的. 谁也不能保证房子会增值, 也不能保证它会在你想要的时候卖出去. 你拥有房子的时间越长, the more likely your high monthly mortgage payments will negate any benefit you gained from a small down payment.