Down Payment Saved. Now Fix The Payment.
Your borrower did the hard part and saved the down payment. Then the rate ate the payment. On an FHA purchase, the 3.5% to 5% Arcasa unlocks doesn’t have to go to the down payment. Point it at the rate: same house, same cash to close, a payment that works.
So aim the assistance somewhere better.
Your borrower did everything right and still got priced out by the rate. Tap through what changes when the assistance goes to the rate instead of the down payment. Shorter bar is better.
They saved the down payment, so getting in the door was never the problem. The rate is. Nothing about this file is broken — it just costs more every month than they can carry.
Who to call this week.
Has the cash, not the payment
Saved the down payment, then rates moved and the payment did not fit. Aim the assistance at the rate and the payment lands near the number they were hoping for. Same house.
DTI is a hair over
This is the one place a buydown does real work. A permanent buydown lowers the note rate, so the payment the AUS qualifies on comes down with it — a temporary buydown does not, because the file still underwrites at the note rate. It will not rescue every borrower, but it is the lever that actually moves the ratio.
The rate-and-term refi
Arcasa works on FHA non-cash-out refinances. The assistance can go to points, closing costs, UFMIP or principal reduction, and it can retire a bond-loan second. The refi rules →
What the assistance can do.
Purchase
Down payment, closing costs, a rate buydown, or any split of the three. Typical amounts fall between 3.5% and 5% of the purchase price, and up to a 5.5% cap at certain lenders.
Refinance
FHA rate-and-term or simple refinance only. Points, closing costs, UFMIP, principal reduction, or paying off a bond-loan second. No cash-out, no streamline.
Ask first
Buydown eligibility varies by lender. Run the scenario in the portal, or send it to loans@arcasa.io and we will pre-check it before you quote the borrower.
Quick
snapshot.
No income caps
Any FHA-qualifying borrowerNo second payment
One loan, one closingNo repayment
Grant or forgivable secondPurchase or refi
FHA non-cash-out counts tooStraight answers.
Does the buydown change my rate sheet?
How much does a point buy?
Can the buyer split it: some to the down payment, some to the rate?
What does the solar do to the payment?
Is the assistance repaid?
What doesn’t fit?
Run a file with Riley.
Twenty minutes on your calendar. Bring a live scenario and he will run it in the portal with you: where to aim the assistance, what the lender sees, and where it breaks.
Got a borrower who walked at 7%?
Run it in the portal, or send us the scenario and we will pre-check it.
Arcasa is an energy-smart down payment assistance platform: it helps loan officers and homebuyers unlock DPA on FHA loans, funded through solar installation rolled into the mortgage. Estimate only. Typical amounts fall between 3.5% and 5% of the purchase price, and up to a 5.5% cap at certain lenders. Subject to credit approval. Not everyone will qualify. Assistance comes as a grant or a forgivable second, depending on the lender — no payments, no interest, forgiven once the system is installed and running. FHA purchase and non-cash-out refinance, owner-occupied, 1–4 units. Not available in New York, Alaska, Hawaii or West Virginia. Arcasa facilitates solar-integrated mortgage scenarios through participating lenders and does not originate mortgages or provide direct funding. Not a commitment to lend. Arcasa Services, LLC · Equal Housing Opportunity. Rate buydown figures are illustrative; buydown pricing and eligibility vary by lender.