Newlyweds are asking for this as a wedding gift and it isnt a fancy espresso machine

Couples used to get gravy boats and fine china as wedding gifts, but now, with interest rates and housing prices on the rise, more newlyweds are asking for cold, hard cash to plunk down on a home.“Most couples have already been living together by the time they get married, so they are less interested in registering for toasters and espresso machines, as they already have household items,” says Cara Ameer, real estate broker at Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty in Florida.“What they lack is a nest egg to buy a home.”According to a recent LendingTree survey, 48% of homeowners who tied the knot in the past two years asked for down payment assistance from wedding guests in lieu of traditional presents—and 26% said they put more money down on a home purchase because of money they received at their wedding.“I recently worked with a couple who used part of their wedding gifts to help with their down payment,” says Florida real estate agent Ron Myers.

“With housing prices staying high, I think more couples may start looking at gift money as a way to get into their first home faster.It gives them a head start without taking on more debt.”While to some it might seem gauche, gift money is one smart way to move toward your dream of owning a home—without too many tax implications.The common rule of thumb for homebuyers is to aim for a down payment of 10% to 20% of the home’s purchase price.For example, a Realtor.com report released earlier this month found that homebuyers paid $29,900 on average for a down payment and 14.4% as a share of the purchase price in 2024.But the down payment is only one of the upfront costs needed to buy a house.

In addition, buyers need to save for closing costs.These fees, paid to third parties to help facilitate the sale of a home, typically total 2% to 7% of the home’s purchase price.The median home price in March 2025 grew to $424,900—which means the average closing costs would range between $8,498 and $29,7...