Crypto down payment seasoning and how to skip it
Documented crypto sale proceeds may meet a lender's sourcing requirements without a long bank holding period.
Documented crypto sale proceeds may meet a lender's sourcing requirements without a long bank holding period. Seasoning is the fallback lenders apply to funds they can't trace; a complete, documented trail — proof you own the wallet, a record of the conversion, and a wire straight to escrow — addresses the underlying requirement (sourcing) directly. Ask your loan officer to confirm the documentation, asset-history and conversion deadlines for your program.
Why buyers get the seasoning speech
Underwriters must verify that down payment funds are really yours. When money lands in your bank account with no paperwork, the fallback rule is time: two statement cycles (typically 60 days, sometimes 90) and they stop asking. Seasoning isn't the requirement — it's the absence-of-documentation penalty. Loan officers burned by half-documented crypto deposits default to "sell it and season it" because it's the path they know closes.
The documented path
A sourcing package generally includes proof of wallet ownership with holding history, records of the conversion to USD, and a clean flow of funds — ideally one wire straight to escrow. RealOpen produces exactly that trail: wallet verification up front, conversion at closing through OTC execution, and dollars wired directly to escrow. One recent closing required exactly that: down payment to escrow plus the buyer's RealScore™ report and Transaction Record, about two days before closing — no seasoning period. You keep crypto until the funding date your lender and escrow approve; some files require conversion, receipt of dollars and document review before closing day. And if you're buying outright, there's no underwriter — seasoning was never your problem.