[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fbra8ida9g86a":3,"$ffeh0925h8cuz":38,"$fbwk2pqjjqsc7":42},{"item":4,"previous":26,"next":32},{"id":5,"slug":6,"title":7,"description":8,"excerpt":9,"contentType":10,"featuredImage":11,"bannerImage":9,"body":12,"agentsBottomLine":13,"bodyImage":9,"isInfographic":14,"categories":15,"isVideo":14,"videoThumbnail":9,"videoSource":9,"publishedAt":24,"updatedAt":25},910,"happily-ever-homeowner","Happily Ever Homeowner","Married couples once again dominated the first-time homebuyer statistics last year at 66% of all buyers, according to the most recent \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nar.realtor\u002Freports\u002Fhighlights-from-the-profile-of-home-buyers-and-sellers\">\u003Cem>Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fa>. It is no surprise that having two incomes to save for down payments and contribute to monthly housing costs makes buying a home more attainable.","","blog","https:\u002F\u002Fsimplifyingmedia\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F09\u002F08103615\u002F20170913-Share-STM.jpg","Married couples once again dominated the first-time homebuyer statistics last year at 66% of all buyers, according to the most recent \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nar.realtor\u002Freports\u002Fhighlights-from-the-profile-of-home-buyers-and-sellers\">\u003Cem>Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fa>. It is no surprise that having two incomes to save for down payments and contribute to monthly housing costs makes buying a home more attainable.\u003C!--more-->\r\n\r\nMany couples are deciding to use what would otherwise be their wedding fund as a down payment on their first home, as unmarried couples made up 8% of all first-time buyers last year. If you’re single, don’t fret; you can still buy your dream home! Single women made up 17% of first-time buyers in 2016, while single men accounted for 7% of buyers.\r\n\r\nAccording to a \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theweddingreport.com\u002Findex.cfm\u002Faction\u002Fblog\u002Fview\u002Fpost\u002Fpid\u002F705\u002Ftitle\u002F2017_Q1_Average_Cost_of_Wedding_in_the_U_S__Falls__2_8__to___25_961\">survey\u003C\u002Fa> by the \u003Cem>Wedding Report\u003C\u002Fem>, the average cost of a wedding in the United States at the start of the year was $25,961, which equates to a 10% down payment on a median priced home.\r\n\r\nA recent \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nytimes.com\u002F2017\u002F08\u002F30\u002Ffashion\u002Fweddings\u002Fspending-the-wedding-funds-on-a-house-downpayment-or-vacation.html\">article\u003C\u002Fa> from the \u003Cem>New York Times\u003C\u002Fem> found that many singles are now asking their parents to allow them to use the money they’ve saved up for their wedding day to instead buy a home.\r\n\r\nIn the case of Carrie Graham, a Protestant minister from Austin, TX, her parents had saved a \u003Cem>‘five-figure sum’\u003C\u002Fem> for her wedding and were more than willing to give her that money as a down payment on her dream home. Graham told \u003Cem>The New York Times\u003C\u002Fem>,\r\n\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cem>“Buying the home wasn’t me saying, ‘I’m never going to get married’ or I am going to get married.’ My own home had way more than equity benefits. It was a real gift to have a home in an extremely desirable neighborhood in a city that I love. It’s brought me joy.”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\r\n\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong>Bottom Line\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh3>\r\nMore and more first-time homebuyers are finding a way to purchase their dream homes, even if that means delaying their dream weddings.","\r\nMore and more first-time homebuyers are finding a way to purchase their dream homes, even if that means delaying their dream weddings.",false,[16,20],{"id":17,"name":18,"slug":19},5,"For Buyers","buyers",{"id":21,"name":22,"slug":23},11,"First-Time Buyers","first-time-buyers","2017-09-13T10:00:51Z","2017-09-12T11:27:05Z",{"id":27,"slug":28,"title":29,"featuredImage":30,"publishedAt":31,"contentType":10,"isVideo":14},909,"looking-for-your-dream-home-know-what-you-want-vs-what-you-need","Looking for Your Dream Home? Know What You Want vs. What You Need","https:\u002F\u002Fsimplifyingmedia\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F09\u002F06160708\u002F20170912-Share-STM.jpg","2017-09-12T10:00:27Z",{"id":33,"slug":34,"title":35,"featuredImage":36,"publishedAt":37,"contentType":10,"isVideo":14},911,"report-homeownership-is-a-precondition-of-the-american-dream","Report: Homeownership Is a Precondition of the American Dream","https:\u002F\u002Fsimplifyingmedia\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2017\u002F09\u002F12125147\u002F20170914-Share-STM.jpg","2017-09-14T10:00:04Z",{"cover":39,"open":40,"shareSpread":41},"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Cover-original.png","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Spread-original.png","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Magazine-original.png",[43,47,48,52,56,60,64,65,69,73,77,81,85,89,93,97,101,105,109,113,117,121,125,129,133,137,141,145,149,153],{"id":44,"name":45,"slug":46},1,"Uncategorized","uncategorized",{"id":17,"name":18,"slug":19},{"id":49,"name":50,"slug":51},6,"For Sellers","sellers",{"id":53,"name":54,"slug":55},7,"Foreclosures","foreclosures",{"id":57,"name":58,"slug":59},8,"Infographics","infographics",{"id":61,"name":62,"slug":63},9,"Home Prices","home-prices",{"id":21,"name":22,"slug":23},{"id":66,"name":67,"slug":68},34,"Senior Market","senior-market",{"id":70,"name":71,"slug":72},35,"Mortgage Rates","mortgage-rates",{"id":74,"name":75,"slug":76},38,"Move-Up","move-up",{"id":78,"name":79,"slug":80},41,"For Sale by Owner","for-sale-by-owner",{"id":82,"name":83,"slug":84},42,"Featured","featured",{"id":86,"name":87,"slug":88},45,"New Construction","new-construction",{"id":90,"name":91,"slug":92},52,"Luxury \u002F Vacation","luxury--vacation",{"id":94,"name":95,"slug":96},53,"Rent vs. Buy","rent-vs-buy",{"id":98,"name":99,"slug":100},80,"Time-sensitive","time-sensitive",{"id":102,"name":103,"slug":104},81,"Outdated","outdated",{"id":106,"name":107,"slug":108},147,"Internal","internal",{"id":110,"name":111,"slug":112},148,"Do Not Autopost","do-not-autopost",{"id":114,"name":115,"slug":116},320,"Inventory","inventory",{"id":118,"name":119,"slug":120},321,"Agent Value","agent-value",{"id":122,"name":123,"slug":124},322,"Affordability","affordability",{"id":126,"name":127,"slug":128},323,"Buying Tips","buying-tips",{"id":130,"name":131,"slug":132},324,"Downsize","downsize",{"id":134,"name":135,"slug":136},325,"Economy","economy",{"id":138,"name":139,"slug":140},326,"Equity","equity",{"id":142,"name":143,"slug":144},327,"Forecasts","forecasts",{"id":146,"name":147,"slug":148},328,"Selling Tips","selling-tips",{"id":150,"name":151,"slug":152},339,"Expired\u002FWithdrawn\u002FCanceled","expiredwithdrawncanceled",{"id":154,"name":155,"slug":156},340,"Price It Right\u002FOverpricing","price-it-rightoverpricing"]