One of the most popular ways to buy a home today is to have the home seller pay your loan closing costs. There are restrictions based on the type of home loan you qualify for but its becoming one of the most common ways to bring no money down.

Many loan programs allow for seller paid closing cost to pay for all the fees associated with the loan. This allows buyers taking advantage of 100% financing to literally walk to the closing table with no money at all and at times even getting a refund of earnest money.

Different loan programs will dictate how much you can receive from the buyer. This can be a percentage or it can be a fixed amount and is usually between 2% to 6%. The most common amount used is 3% on a average priced house. This is fully negotiable with the seller and some sellers may not be willing to give. The more motivated they are the better chance you might have. I would always start out with asking for seller contribution...it's usually free money for you.

Did you know that sellers are allowed to pay for your closing costs and prepaids? Sellers are allowed to pay up to 3% (6% on some programs) of the sales price toward closing costs, prepaids and points. This helps you with cash needed at closing. It is important to remember that if you want a seller to pay closing costs, you must detail this in your offer to purchase the property.

Seller paid closing costs are a great loan feature, especially for the borrower who may not have all of their closing costs available to them. I frequenly will pre qualify a borrower who does not realize that they are expected to bring their closing costs to the table. However, after I have had a chance to explain that seller paid closing costs are essentially financing your closing costs in with the loan have a very positive response.

Seller paid closing costs are the best way to bring zero money to the closing table. Your mortgage broker and real estate agent can help you structure your loan this way.

Why would a Seller want to pay the buyers closings costs? In a buyers market Sellers wanting to sell their home quickly often use this as an incentive for buyers to purchase their home. A benifit to the Seller is that this also increases the number of buyers that are able to purchase their home. Many buyers today lack the resources or savings to pay the sometimes hefty upfront closing costs of buying a home. Today, more Sellers are figuring in buyers closing costs when setting the price of their home, knowing upfront that to sell their home quickly they need to increase the number of potential buyers.