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A home buyer making the median income will need to put down nearly $127,750, or 35.4%, to afford a typical U.S. home valued at about $360,000, according to a data analysis from Zillow (NASDAQ:Z, ZG).

In some markets, the costs are more burdensome. For example, a median-income household in San Jose would need to put down more than $1.3 million to afford the mortgage payments on a typical home, while in Los Angeles a median-income household would need an 81.1% down payment ($780,203) to afford the typical home, the highest in the country.

Zillow also noted that to save up $127,750, it would take a household making the median income about 12 years – assuming its members save 10% of their income each month with a 4% annual return. In comparison with pre-pandemic 2019, when mortgage rates were just above 4% and the typical home was worth about 50% less, that property would have been affordable with no money down.

“Down payments have always been important, but even more so today,” said Skylar Olsen, chief economist at Zillow. “With so few available, buyers may have to wait even longer for the right home to hit the market, especially now that buyers can afford less. Mortgage rate movements during that time could make the difference between affording that home and not.”

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Olsen added, “Saving enough is a tall task without outside help — a gift from family or perhaps a stock windfall. To make the finances work, some folks are making a big move across the country, co-buying or buying a home with an extra room to rent out. Down payment assistance is another great resource that is too often overlooked.”

 

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