The MReport Webcast: Wednesday 2/11/2015

According to its most recent data, LendingTree reported Tuesday that the average down payment on conventional, 30-year fixed-rate loan offers made to the company’s borrowers last quarter was 17-point-6 percent, up from 16 percent in the final months of 2013. A down payment of 20 percent is typically required for borrowers to avoid having to pay for mortgage insurance. In dollar amounts, the average down payment was up about $2,000 to about $47,500.

Arkansas ranked lowest among the states for down payment percentages, averaging 14.7 percent in Q4. Also sitting low on the list were North Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio. At the other end, the District of Columbia boasted the highest average down payment percentage at 20.3 percent.

Quicken Loans said Tuesday that appraisers' home value estimates came in an average 0.18 percent higher than homeowners' estimates last month. The difference marks the narrowest gap between opinions since September 2013, when appraisers' estimates came in higher than homeowners' for the first time in seven years. Quicken Loans' chief economist, Bob Walters, says the narrowing difference in home value estimates is a good sign as lower interest rates spark increased interest in refinancing.

When it comes to home values, homeowners and appraisers were just about on the same page in January—an encouraging sign as the market prepares itself for spring.