Page with a house icon on itBlogs

Can all of the down payment come from a gift and who can be the donor?

Single-family homes, ANY funds needed for the down payment, and/or closing costs can come from a gift. This goes for conventional and FHA. (VA and Rural Development still allow for $0 down.) Conventionally used to require 5% of the purchase price to come from the buyer's own funds but that changed a while ago and 100% can now come from a gift.

Regarding WHO can gift funds to a buyer, both conventional and FHA allow…

  • a relative, defined as the borrower's spouse, child, or another dependent, or by any other individual who is related to the borrower by blood, marriage, adoption, or legal guardianship; or
  • a fiancé, fiancée, or domestic partner.

But notably, FHA will also allow gifts to come from a buyer's EMPLOYER!