Easy, Fast, Pain-Free Ways To Save Up for a House

Buying a house typically requires some serious savings. After all, with the median home price hovering at $375,000, a 20% down payment amounts to $75,000. Yes, you can put down less. (The national average is 12%, although some loans allow as little as 3%.) However, in today’s competitive market, more cash upfront can give you an edge and help make your offer stand out.

It’s no surprise that among younger homebuyers, 30% say that pulling together the down payment is the most challenging step in buying a home, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

Yet as daunting as it may be to amass this pile of cash, there are plenty of tactics that can help you get there faster—and with fewer sacrifices than you might think.

Some of the advice that follows is tried and true, while other tips are fairly new, in the form of nifty apps that’ll line your pockets with extra cash with little effort. See which ones fit, so you’re armed and ready once you get out there to make an offer.