Down Payment Assistance Programs Can Help Qualified Buyers Move Quickly

Rising rental home costs have prompted some Southern Nevadans to turn to homebuying in order to save money.

Some rents have seen more than a 20 percent jump thanks to increased demand across Las Vegas. According to analyst CoreLogic, the Las Vegas Valley had the second-highest year-over-year increase in single-family rent prices in the country in June 2021 at 12.9 percent.

Real estate expert Andrew Leavitt, CEO of Pay It Forward (PIF) Lending, points to a few reasons for this, including a rush to settle in Southern Nevada from surrounding states, including California, Oregon and Washington.

With increased demand came increased rents, with mortgage forbearance options and eviction moratoriums due to COVID-19 also playing a part.

“And increasing rent during a lease is allowed if it’s in your rental agreement,” Leavitt said, adding that Clark County and the state of Nevada currently have no limits on how much rent can be raised. “The best way to avoid all of that is to buy if you can,” he said.

For those hoping to find relief from rising rents by purchasing a home, down payment assistance programs may help them accomplish their goal faster by offering money for down payments or closing costs.

PIF Lending offers down payment assistance programs that allow homebuyers to go from a 5 percent down payment to 3 percent and reduce their mortgage insurance, which lowers their monthly payment, as well as assistance that finances their entire down payment.

PIF Lending offers down payment assistance programs (DPA) that allow homebuyers to obtain up to 5 percent of the home loan amount toward their down payment and closing costs. This will give the borrower the ability to get DPA funds to pay the entire down payment. The best part is the DPA covers the full down payment requirement and leaves money left over to help pay closing costs.

On average, most buyers can close on a home loan with less than what they need to secure a home rental after paying the first month’s rent, security deposit, application fee and the many other home rental costs that can total thousands.

“You can’t rent any cheaper than this,” Leavitt said, noting that monthly mortgage payments have decreased due to the lowest interests in history seen in 2020 and 2021.

PIF Lending is at 4155 S. Buffalo Drive, No. 101, in Las Vegas. For more information about PIF Lending, visit payitforwardlending.com