Ohio
Temporary Rate Buydowns in Ohio
A lower rate for two years, paid by someone else. I am licensed in Ohio and I shop this across 175+ lenders.
A temporary buydown drops your rate for the first year or two, and somebody else pays for it. Usually the seller, sometimes the lender.
The 2-1, with Ohio numbers
On a $180,550 loan — roughly 20% down at the Ohio median of $225,688 — a 2-1 buydown means your rate is 2% lower in year one, 1% lower in year two, then the note rate from year three.
The savings in those first two years get deposited into an escrow account at closing by whoever is paying. That is the cost. It is a real number, and in a slower market sellers are agreeing to it instead of dropping the price, because it costs them less and helps you more.
The thing that catches people
You qualify at the full note rate, not the reduced one. The buydown helps your payment, not your approval. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong.
And if you refinance before the buydown runs out, the unused escrow is credited back against your balance. You do not lose it.
When it beats a price cut
A seller paying for a buydown often helps you more, per dollar, than the same money off the price — because it lands on your payment immediately instead of shaving a little off a thirty-year amortisation. Run both. Sometimes the price cut wins. I will show you which.
Where this sits in Ohio
Median ZIP value across Ohio is $225,688 across 1024 ZIP codes. The cheaper tenth of ZIPs run near $131,785 and the top tenth near $369,317. That spread matters: the same program behaves very differently at $131,785 than it does at $369,317.
| Largest metro | Median value | ZIP codes |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus | $310,244 | 115 |
| Cincinnati | $283,038 | 97 |
| Cleveland-Elyria | $281,990 | 96 |
| Toledo | $213,646 | 63 |
| Dayton-Kettering | $248,545 | 54 |
Zillow public home value index, as of 2026-08-31. Market data, not an appraisal of your property and not a quote.
More detail on the program itself is on my temporary rate buydowns page, and the rest of what I write in the state is on the Ohio mortgage broker page.
Get a free rate quote.
No application. No credit pull. A written comparison across 175+ lenders, with the APR on each.
Let's look at your numbers
Questions people ask
Do you write temporary rate buydowns in Ohio?
Yes. I am licensed in Ohio under NMLS #487617 and I shop this program across 175+ lenders rather than offering one lender's version of it.
What is the median home value in Ohio?
About $225,688 across 1024 ZIP codes, from Zillow's public home value index as of 2026-08-31. Your own ZIP may be well above or below that.
How do I start?
Send me your numbers or book fifteen minutes. No credit is pulled to start and there is no application to get a comparison.
Do I need to live in Ohio to use this?
No. The property has to be in a state I am licensed in. Where you live does not matter, and a good share of my Ohio files are for people who live somewhere else.
How many lenders do you actually compare?
175+. A bank can only offer its own product, so if you do not fit it you hear no. I put the ones that fit side by side with the APR on each, and if your current deal already wins I will tell you.
What does it cost to talk to you?
Nothing. I am paid when a loan closes and the compensation is disclosed on your Loan Estimate. If the answer is to keep what you have, it cost you fifteen minutes.
Let’s look at your numbers
Fifteen minutes. Your real numbers. No pressure.
Call or text my cell, or book a time. You’ll get a written comparison with real terms and an APR on every option, and if your current deal already wins, I’ll tell you.