A strengthening U.S. economy, rising home values and the ongoing stretch of remarkable job creation sparked both growing demand and ability to purchase a home over the past year. While supply and affordability constraints are indeed making homebuying a challenging endeavor for many households, data from NAR’s 2017 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers reveals some hopeful news: an overwhelming majority of successful buyers obtained a mortgage and made a down payment of less than 20 percent.