Cheryl Bourland's blog

Potential home buyers consistently regard saving for the down payment as one of the greatest barriers to buying a home, and who can blame them? Although the exact dollar amount required up front by the lender depends on the type of mortgage and purchase price, buyers generally need to come up with several tens of thousands of dollars in order to take out their home loan. Of course, as is true with any statistic, there is a wide range of averages observed across the nation's fifty states, and both down payment amounts and percentages follow this rule. With that in mind, LendingTree sought to determine which state's mortgage borrowers were offering up the largest and smallest down payments in Q3. They found that Arkansas buyers paid some of the smallest amounts up front, both in dollars and as a percentage.

Do you think that most people like their neighbors? Your visceral reaction might be to assume the worst, but the answer is actually quite positive! In fact, according to realtor.com's newly-released 2018 Good Neighbor Report, a whopping 77% of people feel that they have a good neighbor. As part of the report, the survey also asked people to identify the qualities which were most important in a good neighbor. What do you think came out on top?

Although the summer months are the traditional time when most house hunters are out looking for their new home, savvy buyers should consider continuing or beginning their search in the fall. In fact, there are several factors which combine to make fall the optimal time for home buying. This largely comes down to less buyer competition; you are essentially zigging when most people zag, giving you the advantage over sellers as demand falls after summer. Keep reading to learn why fall might be the best season for home buying!