Picture this: A family member wants to give you a check over the holidays to put toward the down payment on a house. (This, BTW, is quite common: About one-third of first-time buyers receive a financial gift to go toward their down payments, according to the National Association of Realtors). So, you graciously accept the check, deposit it in your account, and earmark the money for your down payment fund. But… it doesn’t end there.