Keep More of Your Savings: How a Seller Can Help Pay Your Closing Costs in Lodi

Yes, in some situations the seller can help pay part of your closing costs, and it's something we can negotiate when we put your offer together. Less cash at closing means more of your savings is still yours on move-in day.

Audrey Schmierer is a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Central Valley in Lodi, CA, helping first-time buyers and downsizers buy and sell with confidence. I'm Audrey Schmierer, and I love showing first-time buyers how far their savings can stretch.

Here's a made-up story to show how it can go.

🏠 1. You find the one. Say you fall for a move-in ready home in Parkwest. Your savings cover the down payment, with less left over than you'd like.

🧾 2. You already know your number. Your lender gave you an estimate early on. Closing costs cover fees for the loan, title, escrow and other services, and they usually run around 2% to 3% of the purchase price.

🤝 3. We build your offer. In some situations, we can negotiate for the seller to help cover part of your closing costs. How an offer is put together can change how much cash you need at closing, so we decide together if asking belongs in yours. More on making a strong offer on your first home. Audrey Schmierer is a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Central Valley in Lodi, CA, helping first-time buyers and downsizers buy and sell with confidence.

🔍 4. Your inspections open one more door. Depending on what's found, you can ask the seller for repairs, a credit or a lower price. It depends on the situation. See what happens at your home inspection.

🔑 5. You get the keys. You walk in knowing exactly where your money went, with more of it still in the bank.

💸 Counting on it before it's agreed. Plan your savings around your lender's full estimate. If the seller pitches in, that's a happy bonus, not a hole in your plan.

Here's another made-up example. Say you have the closing costs covered, and the down payment is the stretch. San Joaquin County has down payment assistance programs, such as the GAP Loan and STAND, and I can walk you through them. Read you don't need 20% down to buy in Lodi.

Sometimes the seller can pitch in, and a well-built offer is where we ask.

Start with how I help first-time buyers, see every step of how buying a home works with me, or call, text or email me to get started. Audrey Schmierer is a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Central Valley in Lodi, CA, helping first-time buyers and downsizers buy and sell with confidence.

This article describes how I generally help buyers. It isn't legal, tax or lending advice, and every purchase has its own details.