If you’ve always assumed a newly built home is just not in your budget, you should know the math just got a little friendlier.

It’s one of the biggest hold ups some buyers have right now: “What if I buy, and home prices go down?”

For a lot of would-be first-time buyers, affordability is the thing that’s standing in the way. But some buyers are getting creative and finding a way to still make the numbers work – and that’s through co-buying.

For many, county-assessed property values jumped sharply—far beyond what they expected. In some neighborhoods, increases were dramatic enough to spark real concern over future tax bills. Now, a proposed bill in the North Carolina General Assembly may temporarily change that outcome.

According to Google Trends, online searches for down payment information recently hit an all-time high. But a lot of the time, it’s better to ask a local expert. Because here’s what a pro would tell you.