About DownPayment Desk
Free tools and plain-English data for people saving for their first home.
What we do
DownPayment Desk helps first-time buyers answer three questions: how much do I need, how long will it take to save it, and what will owning a home here cost each month? The site brings together a down payment savings tracker, mortgage and affordability calculators, weekly mortgage rates, home values for thousands of ZIP codes, buying costs and buyer assistance programs for every state, and local electricity rates.
Everything is free to use. There is no sign-up wall, and the savings tracker keeps your numbers in your own browser unless you choose to create an account.
Where the numbers come from
We build our pages from public and official data, and every page names its source and date. Mortgage rates come from Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey via FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis). Home values come from the Zillow Home Value Index, local market activity from Redfin's data center, and property tax figures from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Electricity rates come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. State buyer programs link to each state's housing finance agency.
Pages rebuild every morning, so each new release from those sources shows up within a day. When a source has not published new data, we keep its last release and say how old it is.
How we check our work
Calculators are tested against independent amortization math before they go live, and a set of daily checks compares published figures with their sources and looks for broken or changed official links. If you find a mistake, tell us and we will fix it.
How the site is paid for
DownPayment Desk has no ads. Some pages include labeled affiliate links to Mortgage Research Center and WalletHub; see our disclosure page. No company can pay to change a ranking or a calculator result.
What we are not
We are not a lender, broker, real estate agent or financial adviser, and nothing here is financial advice. Our numbers are estimates to help you plan. Talk to a lender or HUD-approved housing counselor before you make a decision.
Contact
Questions, corrections or ideas: contact us or email [email protected].
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