Stop fighting over price and fix the payment: how a seller-paid 3-2-1 buydown gets buyers a lower payment in the first three years while sellers keep their net.
For buyers · For agents · For sellers
The same seller dollars, spent two ways. One drops the payment $122 a month. The other drops it $936. The math on page 4.
What the buyer pays in years one, two, and three, what it costs, who funds it, and exactly what happens in year four.
The four-step play for agents: get the net accepted first, build the buydown into the price, write it as a seller concession, and I call the listing agent.
Seller concession limits by program — conventional, VA, FHA — and the appraisal question, answered.
“Won't it appraise low?” “I won't win the offer.” “It's wasted if I refinance.” What I tell buyers, and why.
And what I say to each one. Renting is cheaper. Prices will crash. It's too expensive. Affordability, not price, is the fix.
Payment sells houses. It always has.
SVP of Mortgage Lending, RATE · NMLS #485091. VA specialist, full-service lender. 30+ years in some of the most competitive housing markets in the country. #12 in the nation for VA loan production, 2025 Scotsman's Guide.* Call or text 571-249-5363 · rick@loanwithrick.com