Thinking of buying a house but not sure where you are going to get that chunk of change for the down payment? Here are a few ideas:
- Your Employer – Check to see if your company offers home-buying or relocation assistance.
- Friends and Relatives – Ask those near and dear to you for cash gifts
- Your Government, City, or County – Google your city, county, or state gov. sites that offer down payment assistance programs
- Tax Refund – Forego the spending spree and bank your refund instead
- A Second Job – Work a few hours a week driving or making deliveries; make use of specific skills by picking up freelance work online
- Reprioritized Expenses – Redirect unnecessary costs to your down payment fund; bring lunch from home, cut back on your cable TV plan, quit the gym
- Garage Sales – Get a jumpstart on packing by offloading unwanted items
- Online Selling – Sell your more unique or collectable items on eBay. Use Craigslist and LetGo to sell other items more locally
- High-Yield Savings Account – Move down payment funds from a no-interest checking account to an interest-bearing checking account
- Spend-to-Save Programs – Sign up for bank programs that automatically transfer funds from your checking account to your savings account when you make debit or check card purchases
- Cash Rewards Credit Card – Switch to a credit card that pays cash back rewards instead of merchandise or service points
- Retirement Accounts – Ask your financial advisor if it is possible to borrow some funds from your 401(k) or IRA
- Sale of Stocks or Other Investments – Parse your investment portfolio for stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or securities that you can liquidate
- Sale of Previous Home – If you have already sold your existing home – or plan to – your built-up equity could make a sizeable contribution to your down payment
Source: Zillow
