The Marriage of Weddings and Real Estate...
Many couples about to tie the knot are doing a different type of wedding registry nowadays, one that allows them to collect cash for a down payment on a home, according to a recent article in The Washington Times.
Dana Ostomel, founder of Deposit a Gift in New York City, says that about 15 % of their registries are to raise down-payment funds for a home and another 15 % are for home-improvement funds to pay for upgrades like a new roof or furniture. "Given that 75 % of today’s engaged couples already live together and are older, very often they are already established with the household basics that you find on a traditional registry," Ostomel said. "What they want is the gift of big-ticket items and longer term goals, like the gift of home ownership.”
The FHA permits gifts from a wedding to be used as a down payment, but lenders are required to document that the funds are gifts. About 27 % of first-time home buyers use gift money from relatives and friends for a down payment, according to a 2010 National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers survey. Source: The Washington Times
Francis Rolland
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