The low-downpayment options are near a seven-year high, accounting for almost 40% of all purchase originations. Low-downs are the new norm and if it makes sense, why not keep more money in the bank instead of putting all savings into a home? That buffer can be quite the security blanket. A great loan officer knows how to talk options.

Millennial women might have better credit scores (barely) than men but they have higher credit card and student loan debt. Men also have a higher income. While the study didn’t dive into reasons and applying for a mortgage, it did show 56% of men own a home while only 44% of women do. We’d be interested to know about the breakdown of singles vs married.

Saginaw, Michigan steals the sixth spot for a Forever Home location. Arguably a growing community making a comeback, it hit the list to buy a home and grow old in. Florence, South Carolina grabbed the No. 1 spot.

BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) released their July Jobs report on Friday and it beat expectations of only 178K, coming in much higher at 209K. May’s and June’s numbers were both revised—May slightly lower and June modestly higher. The Unemployment rate decreased from 4.4% to 4.3%.