According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the median down payment hasn’t been over 20% since 2005. In fact, for all homebuyers today it’s only 15%. And it’s even lower for first-time homebuyers at just 8%

If you’re intimidated by how much you need to save for a down payment it may be because you believe you must put 20% down. That doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.

Buying a home as a first-time homebuyer is a vision you can bring to life, but you’ll have to overcome some factors that have made it more challenging in recent years.

For the vast majority of military borrowers, VA loans represent the most powerful lending program on the market. These flexible, $0-down payment mortgages have helped more than 24 million service members become homeowners since 1944.

If you’re aiming to buy a home, here’s what you need to know to accomplish that goal.

One way to take the fear out of budgeting is understanding some of the costs you might encounter. Here are just a few costs experts say you can expect.