[zdragnar]

3% is typically only available for a primary residence if you haven't owned in the past X years. Otherwise, it's pretty much impossible to find anything less than 5% down.

That's not a terrible thing either. If you are not able to save up for 5 or more % down, odds are good you will be house-rich and money-poor, which can really suck a lot of enjoyment out of owning a home.

Say, for example: a $300k home with a 285k mortgage will work out to around $2,000 per month. Add in a vehicle payment or two, maybe a higher bill if you have high property taxes, phone, internet, paying down credit cards, whatever, and you're easily in the 3-4k per month just in bills. If you can afford that and not feel financially constricted, then you can afford to wait a bit, get more saved up to put more down, and you'll have more available for vacations, repairs, additions, appliances, etc.