A buyer pays a deposit to the seller in advance before completing the transaction. Which term best defines this?

A. down payment

B. earnest money

C. mortgage application fee

Down Payment

Step-by-step explanation:

Commonly heard when buying a car or house

Down payment

Step-by-step explanation:

Down payment (or downpayment, also called a deposit in British English), is a payment used in the context of the purchase of expensive items such as a car and a house, whereby the payment is the initial upfront portion of the total amount due and it is usually given in cash at the time of finalizing the transaction.

Thus whenever an item normally of large value is purchased, a part of the amount will be paid at the spot and the balance will be agrees to be paid in equal monthly instalments for a fixed interest rate agreed upon the buyer and the seller.

Hence answer is down payment