They come and go, and what we see more often is a seller or builder credit applied toward the rate rather than a formal 2-1 specifically. From our own files: a buyer on a purchase in the high-600s used a seller credit of around ten thousand dollars to reduce the interest rate. Whether a credit like that goes to a temporary buydown, a permanent buydown, or plain closing costs is a choice, and the differences matter: - 2-1 buydown (temporary). The payment is calculated as if the rate were two percentage points lower in year one and one point lower in year two, then it reverts to the full note rate for the rest of the term. The note rate itself never changes; the buydown funds sit aside and subsidize the payment. - Permanent buydown. Points paid to lower the note rate for the life of the loan. We lean against this one as a default; it's a sunk cost with a long break-even. - Closing costs. The credit doesn't touch the rate at all, it just reduces your cash to close. Often the most flexible use. Remember a credit is your own money, financed into the price you paid. Use it deliberately, on the structure that fits how long you'll keep the loan, rather than defaulting to whatever the seller or builder suggests first. We'll map the options side by side in the free Roadmap conversation if that helps.