Most home buyers need a down payment of 3.5% to 20% of the purchase price to qualify for a mortgage. A few can still get away with putting no money down through one type of government-guaranteed loan.
A few may have to come up with more than 20% to buy very expensive homes or condos in overbuilt markets burdened with foreclosures such as Miami. But most buyers will fall somewhere in between the extremes, which is good.