The main factors to save for when buying a house are earnest money—the deposit you make when putting an offer on a home—the rest of your down payment, and closing costs. Most earnest money deposits average between 1% and 3% of the home price, and closing costs average about 2% to 5% of the purchase price of the home. As for the down payment, experts suggest saving at least 20% of the price of the home, but depending on your situation, less than 20% may work too.