[quote=AN]How many people actually put down 25%? I don’t know the statistics, but I would assume it’s not that many. Especially people in the $400-600k range.[/quote]

Of course, it’s anecdotal, but I believe at least 40% of homebuyers put down at least 30%. We in lower-priced properties (this includes YOU, AN and ME) don’t see this because we don’t come into contact with it, like a RE professional would. In properties above $600K, I believe that the majority of current buyers put down 30% to 50%. Of course, this didn’t happen during the “millenium boom.” During that time, lenders routinely approved unqualified buyers to borrow far more $$ than they could ever pay back and also routinely made 100% LTV mortgages using 2nd TDs. This enabled purchasers who could qualify for a $150-$300K purchase on a bright sunny day (in a “normal” lending environment) to qualify for a $500-$850K purchase and drove up the prices of properties that should have been $200-$600K less under normal circumstances.