RE/MAX of Greensboro & PartnersRE/MAX of Greensboro & Partners

Triad Real Estate: Greensboro, High Point, Kernersville, Winston Salem

RE/MAX Partners: 336.854.2400
RE/MAX of Greensboro: 336.854.0500
My Account Login | Register
  • Menu
  • Home
  • Search Homes For Sale
  • Home Valuation
  • Meet Our Agents
  • the Blog
  • Join RE/MAX
  • Contact Us

It’s Important To Follow These Specific Steps When Using Gift Funds For Your Down Payment

It's Important To Follow These Specific Steps When Using Gift Funds For Your Down PaymentAs lenders tighten mortgage guidelines for Greensboro home buyers, minimum downpayment requirements are increasing.

Several years ago, you could finance a home with nothing down. Today, most conventional mortgages require at least 5 – 10 percent.

Incidentally, these guideline changes have led to an increase in the number of home buyers accepting cash gifts from family.

Gifts are allowed in most cases but the problem is, if you don’t accept the gift in a “lender-friendly” way, the mortgage underwriter could reject it, and negate it.

Three Steps To Success With Your Down Payment Gift Funds

You can’t just deposit a cash gift into your bank account. You have to follow a series of steps and keep records.

  1. Provide an acceptable gift letter signed by all parties
  2. Provide documentation of the gifter’s withdrawal of funds via teller receipts
  3. Provide documentation of the giftee’s deposit of funds via teller receipts

Lenders require these 3 steps for two basic reasons.  First, they want to make sure that the cash gift is “clean” (i.e. not laundered).  Second, they want to make sure the gift is really a gift and not a loan-in-disguise. It’s why lenders typically require that the loan application be accompanied by a signed, dated letter.

For example:

I am the [relationship to recipient] of [name of recipient] and this letter serves as evidence that I am gifting [name of recipient] [amount of gift] to be used for the purchase of the home at [complete address of property]. This is a gift — not a loan — and there is no expectation of repayment. Signed, [Signature of gifter]

Keep The Cash Gift Funds Separate From Your Other Money

As an additional step, home buyers receiving cash gifts should make sure that gifted funds are not commingled at the time of deposit.

If the cash gift is for $10,000, therefore, the bank’s deposit slip should indicate that a $10,000 deposit was made — nothing more, nothing less. Don’t add a random $100 deposit to the transaction, in other words. The $100 deposit should be a separate transaction.

It’s also worth noting that gifting funds between family members can create both legal and tax liabilities.

If you’re unsure about how donating or receiving a gift may impact you, call or email me directly. If I can’t help you with your questions, I can refer you to somebody that can.

Posted in: Mortgage Tips Tagged: Gift Funds,Gift Letter,Mortgage Guidelines

Quick Home Search

Post navigation

« Home Builder Confidence Highest Level In Nearly 8 Years
Fed Meeting Minutes Reflect Support For Reducing QE Program »

My Account Login

Recent Blog Posts

Home Buyer Guide - Winter 2021

Home Buyer Guide - Winter 2021 Are You Thinking About Buying a Home? The process of buying a home can be overwhelming at times, but you don’t need to go through it alone. You may be wondering … Continue reading...

Some Highlights Based on a recent Gallup poll, real estate has been rated the best long-term investment for nine years in a row. Owning real estate is more than just a place to call home. It’s also … Continue reading...

It can be tempting, especially with how hot the housing market has been over the past two years, to consider selling your home on your own. But today’s market is at a turning point, making it more … Continue reading...

A recent survey from Bankrate asks prospective buyers to identify the biggest obstacles in their homebuying journey. It found that 36% of those polled said saving for a down payment is one of their … Continue reading...

Search The Blog

Search for:

News, Tips & Advice

  • Around The Home (272)
  • Baby Boomers (6)
  • Buying Myths (88)
  • Chapter 7 Bankruptcy (1)
  • Consumer Tips (1)
  • Credit Scoring (1)
  • Demographics (19)
  • Distressed Properties (22)
  • Down Payments (37)
  • Federal Reserve (29)
  • FHFA (2)
  • Financial Crisis (1)
  • Financial Reports (135)
  • First Time Home Buyers (212)
  • For Buyers (413)
  • For Sellers (343)
  • Foreclosure (1)
  • Foreclosures (23)
  • FSBOs (15)
  • Gen Z (8)
  • Generation X (4)
  • Giving Back (3)
  • Happy Thanksgiving (1)
  • Holidays (11)
  • Home Building Tips (5)
  • Home Buyer Tips (198)
  • Home Buying Tips (1)
  • Home Care (3)
  • Home Decorating (2)
  • Home Financing Tips (4)
  • Home Maintenance (1)
  • Home Mortgage (3)
  • Home Mortgage Tips (134)
  • Home Ownership (2)
  • Home Seller Tips (162)
  • Home Selling Tips (27)
  • Home Tips (1)
  • Home Values (6)
  • Homebuyer Tips (6)
  • Homeowner Tips (7)
  • Housing Analysis (184)
  • Housing Market (18)
  • Housing Market Updates (284)
  • Infographics (106)
  • Interest Rates (121)
  • Investment Properties (1)
  • Just For Fun (2)
  • Luxury Market (11)
  • Market Outlook (148)
  • Millennials (15)
  • Mortagage Tips (5)
  • Mortgage (87)
  • Mortgage Guidelines (19)
  • Mortgage Rates (150)
  • Mortgage Tips (11)
  • Move-Up Buyers (238)
  • New Construction (26)
  • News (74)
  • Personal Finance (26)
  • Pricing (176)
  • Rankings (2)
  • RE/MAX Buyer & Seller Tips (1)
  • RE/MAX of Greensboro (17)
  • Real Estate (309)
  • Real Estate 101 (10)
  • Real Estate Definitions (3)
  • Real Estate Tips (43)
  • Real Estate Trends (2)
  • Rent vs. Buy (43)
  • Selling Myths (56)
  • Selling Your Home (1)
  • Senior Market (6)
  • Short Sales (4)
  • Statistics (2)
  • Taxes (3)
  • The Economy (20)
  • Time-sensitive (14)
  • Uncategorized (12)

Home Buyer Tips

Looking For A Major Lifestyle Change? Consider Buying A ‘Micro’ Home

With the cost of a home on the rise and the concept of being sustainable becoming more popular, many people are considering moving to a smaller home to minimize their impact. It’s important, however, to consider what living small is really like before deciding that it’s the right move for you.

Around The Home

The Basic Home Security Checklist Every Home Needs

Did you realize that only around 17 percent of the homes in the United States have a security system? Leaving your residence unprotected can come back to haunt you in the future.

Home Seller Tips

Selling Your Home FHA? Learn These Tips To Ensure A Smooth Closing

Before an owner can market a property to buyers that want to use a FHA loan, he will want to familiarize himself with the FHA’s standards. FHA won’t insure loans on just any property. While their standards aren’t as stringent as they used to be, a home needs to be in relatively good condition to qualify for FHA financing.

© 2022 · Greensboro Real Estate Inc. dba RE/MAX of Greensboro & RE/MAX Partners

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | *Affiliated Business Notice

Each Office Independently Owned and Operated.
Greensboro Real Estate Inc Supports Equal Housing Opportunity
*Affiliated Business Notice

Click for the BBB Business Review of this Real Estate in Greensboro NC
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok