How much down payment do I need to buy a house? About 10 years ago you could buy a property with no down payment. With this, you could get a mortgage that was 100% of the value of the property. Mortgage guidelines however have since become more rigid and most banks and lenders have reduced the loan to value that they are able to lend. How much down payment do I need to buy a house? The answer to this depends on a few things. Read our full guide about the house down payments.