Today it’s more important than ever to have a great local real estate agent on your team. And there’s no cost to you, so why not get an experienced pro on your side? It’s no longer about agents having access to the proprietary data — it’s all out there. But since buying a home is such an infrequent transaction in your life, you need someone along on your journey who knows and studies the market, understands the process and can act as an adviser to help you interpret the data. And buying a home is not just a financial transaction. It’s incredibly emotional, and you’ll want a teammate to help diffuse the feelings, navigate the ups and downs, and steer you in the right direction. You need 20% down to buy a home. This is the biggest misconception for millennials, who are often burdened with huge student loans but still want to be homeowners. After the credit and housing crisis, it became very difficult to get a mortgage. Lenders were strict, and financing killed deal after deal. Today, however, it is possible to get a loan with as little as 3% down. Yes, that's true. But while lending standards have loosened, it's no slam dunk today. You must have good credit, verifiable income and

assets to back you up. But you don't necessarily need a 20-percent down payment.