A “good” time to buy depends on personal circumstances/readiness in my opinion. Take time to assess your financials, including your credit score, savings, and especially job stability. You have to make sure you’re prepared for the responsibility of home ownership. Market conditions fluctuate (interest rates, housing supply/demand, etc), if you’re ready now then now is a good time to buy.

A down payment for a house generally depends on the type of mortgage you’re considering and your financial situation. While 20% is a traditional benchmark for a down payment, many people purchase a home with less. Talk with your preferred lender or loan officer to discuss the different options such as conventional loans, FHA loans, and VA loans. The most important thing is to ensure you are comfortable managing your mortgage payments and other homeownership costs.

There are costs to close a home both from a real estate/escrow side and the loan side (expenses associated with a lender helping you finance the home). The escrow side is negotiable. Standard in California is a 50/50 split of the escrow fee between the buyer and seller, which is usually 1-2% of the purchase price so expect to pay at least half of the escrow fee. The loan closing costs vary between lenders so it is important to ask that question to your lender so you’re aware of costs. Ex:/ $500k home: $5,000-$10,000+.