Two questions, so in order: the seller should not care how the credit gets applied, and the cost depends on which buydown you pick. On repairs versus a buydown: the dollars come out of the seller's net proceeds the same way whether the credit is labeled closing costs, a rate buydown, or repairs. The label is the practical problem. A credit marked 'for repairs' makes underwriting ask what the repairs are, and lenders usually require proof they were completed before closing, which slows everything down. A general closing-cost credit is cleaner, and you can point it wherever makes sense, including a buydown. On the cost: - Temporary buydowns are priced by how much subsidy they front-load. A 3-2-1 costs more than a 2-1, and a 1-0 (1% lower for a single year) is the cheapest and often the most popular. - Permanent buydown (discount points) follows the rough rule that 1% of the loan buys about a quarter point of permanent rate reduction, for example $4,000 on a $400,000 loan, with a break-even often around 60 months. That is longer than many people keep the same loan, which is a big part of why we lean against paying points as a default. Points pricing shifts with the market, so pull fresh numbers before you commit. If a buydown comparison is something you want to see, we will run the side-by-side with your real numbers.