>I have to not only have 20% down payment, but also clean credit and a secure job Have you talked to a mortgage broker lately? In my locale, very few first tim

>I have to not only have 20% down payment, but also clean credit and a secure job Have you talked to a mortgage broker lately? In my locale, very few first time buyers are going to be in a place where they have to put down 20%. There are so many state programs available for first-time buyers and so many different loan options. I understand you are in SFO, but a lot of the frustrations you are expressing in your posts above are very localized to California and to SFO and don't really match the left/right politics of the rest of the country.