Not long ago, homebuyers regularly used the proceeds from the sale of their former home as a down payment on their new residence. But in today’s tough financial climate, that is a less common method. According to Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, prepared by the National Association of Realtors, 66 percent of repeat buyers used money from the sale of a primary residence as a down payment source in 2005; by 2010, that figure had dropped to 43 percent. During the same five-year span, the number of first-time and repeat buyers using savings for a down payment rose from 50 percent to 66 percent. The use of a monetary gift from a relative or friend rose from a low of 9 percent in 2006 to a high of 18 percent in 2010.