WORDS I LIKE — You don’t need certainty — just clarity.
You’ve heard it your whole life.
You need 20% down to buy a house.
Your parents said it. Your friends repeated it.
It’s the reason a lot of would-be buyers are still renting.
And 71% of loan officers say it’s the single biggest myth in the business.
Here’s the part most people miss.
The 20% rule was never a rule. It was a guideline tied to avoiding PMI. That’s private mortgage insurance — a small monthly cost paid when you put less down.
Conventional loans start at 3% down. FHA at 3.5%. VA and USDA loans can go to zero for those who qualify. The median first-time buyer in this country puts down about 8% — not 20%.
But the myth has a cost. People wait. They save. They watch prices climb. They watch rents climb faster. The number they’re chasing keeps moving further away.
I’ve talked to buyers who waited three years saving for a down payment they didn’t actually need. By the time they had it, the home they wanted was $80,000 more expensive. The math they were so careful about quietly broke.
The question was never how much should I pul down. It was am I ready to buy. Two different conversations.
THIS WEEK'S TAKEAWAY
The right question isn’t how much you put down. It’s whether you’re ready to start.
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📍 Mile High Housing Brief
I’ve started sharing a short snapshot of what’s happening in the Denver housing market — inventory trends, pricing shifts, and what they may mean for buyers and homeowners.
Here’s what the latest signal looks like in Denver:
PS
If you’ve been saving toward 20%, reply with “down” and I’ll show you what the same money looks like under three different programs.
No spam. No sales pitches. Just clarity.
— Neil Christiansen, Certified Mortgage Advisor
