Temporary Buydown
A reduction in the mortgage payment made by a homebuyer in the early years of the loan in exchange for an upfront cash deposit provided by the buyer, the seller, or both. How Temporary Buydowns Work: Temporary buydowns are a tool for borrowers purchasing a home who don't have enough income, relative to their monthly mortgage payment and other expenses, to meet lender requirements. To use a temporary buydown, the borrower must have access to extra cash. The cash can be the borrower's or it can be contributed by a home seller anxious to complete a sale. The cash funds an escrow account from which the payments that supplement the borrower's payments are drawn. While the borrower's payments are reduced in the early years, the payments received by the lender are the same as they would have been without the buydown. The shortfalls from the borrower are offset by withdrawals from the escrow account. Temporary buydowns are not a type of mortgage. They are an option that can be attached to any type. Most temporary buydowns, however, are attached to fixed-rate mortgages. Temporary Versus Permanent Buydowns: Another way in which borrowers with excess cash can reduce their mortgage payment is by paying additional points in order to reduce the interest rate. This is sometimes called a 'permanent buydown' because the reduced payment holds for the life of the loan. For the same number of dollars invested, however, temporary buydowns reduce the monthly payment in the first year, which is the payment used to qualify the borrower, by a larger amount than a permanent buydown. This reflects the concentration of the payment reduction in the early years of the loan.
Popular Mortgage Terms
A letter from a lender verifying that the price and other terms of a loan have been locked. Borrowers who lock through a mortgage broker should always demand to see the lock commitment ...
The policy of a second mortgage lender toward allowing a borrower to refinance the first mortgage while leaving the second in place. ...
Authorization by the lender for the borrower to pay taxes and insurance directly. This is in contrast to the standard procedure, where the lender adds a charge to the monthly mortgage ...
A rate lock, plus an option to reduce the rate if market interest rates decline during the lock period. ...
To define a home equity line of credit, we can also take a look at how credit cards work. Similarly to credit cards, home equity lines of credit are sources of funds that can be accessed ...
The payment of principal and interest made by the borrower. ...
The number of days for which any lock or float-down holds. The longer the period, the higher the price to the borrower. ...
On an ARM, the assumption that the value of the index to which the interest rate is tied does not change from its initial level. ...
Insurance provided the lender against loss on a mortgage in the event of borrower default. In the U.S., all FHA and VA mortgages are insured by the federal government. On other mortgages, ...

Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.