Down Payments Fall to Five-Year Q2 Low as Rates Drive Monthly Costs Up 74%
Austin, Texas – September 24, 2026 -- The typical U.S. down payment fell to $27,100 in the second quarter, the lowest second-quarter level since 2021, even as higher mortgage rates pushed estimated monthly payments up 74% over five years to $2,376, according to Realtor.com's second-quarter Down Payment Report.
Down payments drop 9.2% year over year despite seasonal rebound
The median down payment rose seasonally to $27,100, or 13.7% of purchase price, in the second quarter from $25,000, or 12.9%, in the first quarter. That still marked a decline of 9.2% in dollar terms and 0.6 percentage points as a share of price versus the $29,900, or 14.3%, recorded a year earlier. The rebound extended into July, when the typical down payment hit an annual high of $28,800, or 14.0%, still 7.5% below year-ago levels.