> I'm really getting punched down by the 20% down payment standard. I know PMI is a thing, but it's a fee that I'd like to avoid paying in addition to interest.

> I'm really getting punched down by the 20% down payment standard. I know PMI is a thing, but it's a fee that I'd like to avoid paying in addition to interest. Assuming 20% is enough to avoid PMI, even if I snag a 600k condo I need 120k down to not have a PMI. Ask lenders about what's informally known as a "piggy-back loan". You can put 10% down, then get a second lien withdrawing that 10% and putting it towards the 20% number. That can avoid PMI, but be aware that the second lien will have worse terms, often with a floating rate, than the first so it's definitely in your interest to pay that off really fast. These were abused during the housing boom but they're not intrinsically bad. It may be preferable to paying PMI depending on how quickly you can pay off the second lien and how disciplined you are with money.