Some home buyers have tapped into the bank of mom and dad, receiving gifts or loans from family members. (A 2012 National Association of Realtors survey found that 30% of first-time home buyers received funding from relatives for downpayments.) Many others have pooled together funds to pay all-cash, fueling about 30% of all home sales in the past year compared to about 10% a decade ago, according to NAR.

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