Zillow Home Loans offers a 1% down payment option, opening homeownership to more borrowers

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[{"type":"text","content":"This program can reduce the time needed to save for a down payment and provide another option for those who are otherwise ready to take on a mortgage payment\nSEATTLE, Aug. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Zillow Home Loans announced its 1% Down Payment program to allow eligible home buyers to pay as little as 1% down on their next home purchase. This program is initially being offered on properties located in Arizona, with plans to expand to additional markets. With the 1% Down Payment program, borrowers who qualify can now save just 1% to cover their portion of the down payment and Zillow Home Loans will contribute an additional 2% at closing. The 1% Down Payment program can reduce the time eligible home buyers need to save and open homeownership to those who are otherwise ready to take on a mortgage.\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \nMost markets are in the midst of an affordability crisis, and saving for a down payment remains one of the biggest barriers for many potential home buyers. This is especially true for first-time buyers, who are often paying high rents. Typical asking rent nationwide is $2,062, or 3.6% higher than one year ago and up 31% since the start of the pandemic. (The typical rent in the U.S. in February 2020 was $1,597.) The combination of record-breaking home price appreciation and rising interest rates means a majority of first-time buyers (64%) are putting down less than 20%, and one-quarter of first-time buyers are putting down 5% or less. \nZillow Home Loans' 1% Down Payment program lowers the down payment barrier and increases access to the housing market for eligible borrowers. An analysis by Zillow Home Loans' shows that by reducing the down payment burden to 1% of the purchase price, a home buyer looking to purchase a $275,000 home in Phoenix, Arizona, who makes 80% of their area's median income and saves 5% of their income would need only 11 months to save for the down payment. By comparison, the same buyer who needed to save 3% of the purchase price would require two and half years (31 months) to save that amount.\n\"For those who can afford higher rent payments but have been held back by the upfront costs associated with homeownership, down payment assistance can help to lower the barrier to entry and make the dream of owning a home a reality,\" said Zillow Home Loans' senior macroeconomist Orphe Divounguy. \"...

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