They also match rates, have great customer service, don't charge for the appraisal if the deal falls through, bring gifts to my house, etc.

Plan closing funds by stacking: ask for seller credits toward closing, use allowable gift funds, and price out down‑payment assistance or a small 0% promo card for minor repairs after closing.

For real estate, a simple gift or loan is usually best.If her estate will not exceed $15M or $30M, the lump sum gift with a gift tax return is simplest.

Or she could look into getting a FHA loan and you could “gift” her the down payment. 

I agree that his best opportunity for wealth building (as well as ours) is to make individual purchases - at least until I have enough cash reserves to gift with no strings at all.

It doesn’t matter what you pay (within reason) - time on task and the power of compounding are the amazing gifts of home ownership!

A thanksgiving/christmas/holiday gift card couldn't hurt either.

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This can meaningfully reduce taxable gain.Time the sale with income: If you can close in a lower-income year (retirement, gap year, lower earnings), you may qualify for a lower capital gains rate.Leverage charitable giving: Gifting highly appreciated securities (if you also hold investments) can offset taxable gains from the home sale.Marital planning: If one spouse passes before the sale, the surviving spouse often receives a step-up in basis to fair market value, potentially wiping out much of the gain.Beyond the $500K exclusion, the main levers are maximizing your cost basis and carefully timing the sale.

Otherwise, it's a gift and you give the gift freely with no expectation of getting it back.