This post is in response to some questions someone asked me recently. 

The questions were about the ease/difficulty of buyers getting loans.  I'll share what I know, and I always encourage people to check with their own preferred lender for details.

Down payments:  For single family (or owner-occupied 2-4 unit properties), there are still low down payment loans.  Look to VHFA or FHA loans for lower down payments.  By "low", I mean anywhere from 3.5% to 5%.  It's sometimes a better idea, and you sometimes get better terms in the Montpelier and Barre real estate market  by putting 10%-20% down.

For investment properties, you should plan on putting down 20%-25%.

Accessibility:  Local lenders appear to have worked out the kinks from the major underwriting overhauls of last spring/summer.  With decent credit, loans are being made fairly routinely.  Now, I don't know about the national lenders like Wells Fargo or Bank of America, but the local lenders, such as Community National Bank, Northfield Savings Bank, Merchants Bank, TD Bank, VSECU, North Country Federal Credit Union and even Chittenden have been pretty easy to work with.

In a nutshell:  The money's there.  Lenders have smoothed out  the process.  Down payments are reasonable. 

If you're looking to buy a home in Montpelier or Barre, get your documents together, and give a couple of local lenders a call. 

Know more about the Barre and Montpelier real estate market:  Remember Ray.