--- title: "The Average Down Payment for a House: What Home Buyers Should Expect" description: Get the answers you need about the average down payment on a house. Learn what to expect and how to prepare. Read now for more information. image: https://pdxdirectrealty.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/image_242-3.png --- [Skip to content](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/average-down-payment-on-a-house-what-to-expect#main-content) [![PDX Direct Realty](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Black%20logo%20-%20no%20background-2.png?width=150&height=147&name=Black%20logo%20-%20no%20background-2.png)](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/) - Services Show submenu for Services - [Listing Services](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/listing-services) - [Buyer Services](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/buyer-services) - [Additional Services](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/additional-services) - [About Us](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/about-us) - [Customer Portal](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/customer-portal) Open main navigation Close main navigation - Services Show submenu for Services - [Listing Services](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/listing-services) - [Buyer Services](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/buyer-services) - [Additional Services](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/additional-services) - [About Us](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/about-us) - [Customer Portal](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/customer-portal) - [Contact Us](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/contact-us) [Contact Us](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/contact-us) [All posts](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/all) December 22, 2023 # Average Down Payment on a House: What to Expect By  PDX Direct  ·  2 minute read Get the answers you need about the average down payment on a house. Learn what to expect and how to prepare. Read now for more information. ## Making the Average Down Payment on a House: What to Expect Buying a home is a major life decision and a major financial investment. One of the most daunting steps in the process is coming up with the down payment for your future home. Depending on your credit history and whether you choose to get a government-backed loan, the amount you'll need for your down payment could vary significantly. Here's what you need to know about making an average down payment on a house. ## Average Down Payment for Conventional Loans Conventional loan or “conforming” loans are the most popular and widely available type of loan on the market. These loans meet the standard requirements set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. For conventional loans, lenders typically require at least a 5% down payment. As such, the average down payment for a conventional loan is 5% of the total purchase price of your home. ## Requirements for Lower Down Payments For some borrowers, it may be difficult to come up with the funds to cover a 5% down payment. If so, you may be able to get a loan with a lower down payment, but you will have to meet specific requirements. For example, a loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) may require a 3% down payment, while a VA loan from the Department of Veterans Affairs requires no down payment at all. ## Things to Consider When Making a Down Payment When deciding how much to put down on a house, you should factor in what additional costs might be associated with your down payment. Depending on your loan type and state, you might need to pay an origination fee at closing. You may also be required to pay for private mortgage insurance (PMI) if you make a down payment of less than 20%. PMI can help protect your lender from major losses if you fail to make your loan payments, so it's important to factor it into your budget. ## Paying Too Much for a Down Payment? It can be tempting to put more money down if you have it, thinking that you'll get a better interest rate or qualify for a bigger loan. But in most cases, putting down too much money for a down payment can eventually leave you cash- and time-strapped. If you're able to afford a larger down payment and still maintain financial flexibility, it is possible that it'll help with the loan process. However, you need to make sure not to dip into your emergency funds to pay for your down payment, or you may be setting yourself up for financial failure. ## Final Thoughts Making the average down payment on a house is a big step in becoming a homeowner. Before making a decision on how much to put down, do your research. While you may be able to qualify for a loan with the minimum down payment, it's important to determine how much you can truly afford and make sure all additional costs associated with it are factored into the equation. Ultimately, making an informed decision is key to ensuring a successful home purchase. ## More Articles to Consider Reading [How Often Can You Refinance Your Home? A Practical Guide](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/how-often-can-you-refinance-your-home-a-practical-guide) [How Much Is My House Worth? Understanding Property Valuation](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/how-much-is-my-house-worth-understanding-property-valuation) [Refinance Mortgage Requirements: What You Need to Know](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/refinance-mortgage-requirements-what-you-need-to-know) [Do I Have to Refinance After Divorce? Financial Considerations](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/do-i-have-to-refinance-after-divorce-financial-considerations) [Refinance a Second Mortgage: A Guide to Second Liens](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/refinance-a-second-mortgage-a-guide-to-second-liens) [Second Mortgage: Exploring Additional Financing Options](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/second-mortgage-exploring-additional-financing-options) Share: [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/average-down-payment-on-a-house-what-to-expect) [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/average-down-payment-on-a-house-what-to-expect) [twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/average-down-payment-on-a-house-what-to-expect) [pinterest-p icon](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/average-down-payment-on-a-house-what-to-expect) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/average-down-payment-on-a-house-what-to-expect) [![PDX Direct Realty](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Color%20logo%20-%20no%20background.png?width=100&height=98&name=Color%20logo%20-%20no%20background.png "PDX Direct Realty")](http://PDX%20Direct%20Realty) [List@PDXDirectRealty.com](mailto:List@PDXDirectRealty.com) (503) 847-2199 M-F 8am-5pm PST 3225 SW 87th Ave. #25653 Portland, OR 97225 Our Services - [Property Listing Services](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/listing-services) - [Home Buyer Services](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/buyer-services) - [Business Listing Services](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/contact-us) - [Additional Services](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/additional-services) Company Information - [About Us](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/about-us) - [Contact Us](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/contact-us) - [Terms of Service](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/terms-of-service) - [Privacy Policy](https://legal.hubspot.com/privacy-policy) - [Real Estate Articles](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles) **Customer Portal** - [Submit Listing Data](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/submission-options) - [Submit Photos](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/photo-submission) - [Submit Changes](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/submit-changes-form) - [Submit Documents](https://pdxdirectrealty.com/document-submission-form) Copyright © 2026, PDX Direct Realty - All Rights Reserved - Licensed in the State of Oregon ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "PDX Direct", "url" : "https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/author/pdx-direct" }, "dateModified" : "2023-12-22T19:39:39.555Z", "datePublished" : "2023-09-04T07:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "The Average Down Payment for a House: What Home Buyers Should Expect", "image" : [ "https://pdxdirectrealty.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/image_242-3.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://pdxdirectrealty.com/articles/average-down-payment-on-a-house-what-to-expect", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://pdxdirectrealty.com/hubfs/Color%20logo%20-%20no%20background.png" }, "name" : "PDX Direct Realty" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "Article", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : [ "PDX Direct" ] }, "datePublished" : "2023-09-04T07:00:00+0000", "description" : "Get the answers you need about the average down payment on a house. 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