Down payment assistance programs are helping more consumers to become homeowners, according to a new study. Researchers with CBC Mortgage Agency, a national housing finance group, found that more than nine out of 10 home buyers would not have been able to purchase a home without down payment help. Further, more than half of the 1,100 buyers surveyed that received assistance were racial or ethnic minorities. Also, more than a third say they are the first in their family to buy a home.
“We conducted this study to illuminate the importance of [down payment assistance] to lenders and borrowers across the country, and the findings are compelling,” says CBCMA President Richard Ferguson. “It’s clear that without DPA, millions of Americans would be shut out of the home buying market. With it, creditworthy buyers and their families can reap the many benefits of homeownership, which creates healthier communities and other positive outcomes for our nation.”
The borrowers who used DPA say that saving for a down payment had been the chief reason why they had been delaying a home purchase.
Lenders surveyed say that DPA is particularly helpful for buyers who carry student loan debt. They also reported that many of their clients had been paying more in rent than the cost of their new monthly mortgage.
Source: “2019 State of Down Payment Assistance Report,” CBC Mortgage Agency (October 2019)
