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There are many people sitting on the sidelines trying to decide if they should purchase a home or sign a rental lease. Some might wonder if it makes sense to purchase a house before they are married and have a family, others might think they are too young, and still, others might think their current income would never enable them to qualify for a mortgage.

We want to share what the typical first-time homebuyer actually looks like based on the National Association of REALTORS most recent Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers. Here are some interesting revelations on the first-time buyer:

Typical First-Time Homebuyer

Bottom Line

You may not be much different than many people who have already purchased their first homes. Let’s meet to determine if your dream home is within your grasp.


According to the National Association of Realtors’ latest Realtors Confidence Index, 61% of first-time homebuyers purchased their homes with down payments below 6% from October 2016 through November 2017.

Many potential homebuyers believe that a 20% down payment is necessary to buy a home and have disqualified themselves without even trying. The median down payment for all buyers in 2017 was just 10% and that percentage drops to 6% for first-time buyers.

Zillow Senior Economist Aaron Terrazas’ recent comments shed light on why buyer demand has remained strong,

“Looking into 2018, rent is expected to continue gaining. More widespread rent growth could mean home buying demands stay high, as renters who can afford it move away from the unpredictability of rising rents toward the relative stability of a monthly mortgage payment instead.”

It’s no surprise that with rents rising, more and more first-time buyers are taking advantage of low-down-payment mortgage options to secure their monthly housing costs and finally attain their dream homes.

Bottom Line

If you are one of the many first-time buyers who is not sure if you would qualify for a low-down payment mortgage, contact a Greenway mortgage professional to get started on your path to homeownership!


For the Week Ending September 15, 2017

Please enjoy this quick update on what happened this week in the housing and financial markets.

Stocks soared to new record highs this week, in part because estimated financial losses from Hurricane Irma dropped from $200 billion down to $50 billion or less.
Higher gas prices and rent increases helped consumer prices jump in August, pointing to firming inflation. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% over July.
Low inflation, despite a strong labor market, is seen as causing the Fed to delay raising policy rates for a third time this year. It also supports low mortgage rates.
Mortgage applications jumped this week, as buyers took advantage of low rates. Refinance applications were up 9%, and purchase applications were up 11%.
CoreLogic reports that June mortgage delinquencies were the lowest in nearly a decade. Only 4.5% of outstanding mortgages were in some stage of delinquency.
Fannie Mae's latest survey shows a record number of consumers who say now is a good time to sell a home. Over 36% agreed, up 8% from July's survey.

Rate movements and volatility are based on published, aggregate national averages and measured from the previous to the most recent midweek daily reporting period. These rate trends can differ from our own and are subject to change at any time.

 

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