Saving for a down payment on a house? Here is how and where to save.

There are a number of hurdles on the pathway to becoming a homeowner, but for many people, one of the first and particularly daunting challenges is the down payment.

Even if you are getting a mortgage, it’s still necessary to put this cash amount down upfront, and the recommended amount — 20% — is steep, especially given the high cost of housing. But if you can work backward from that figure and break it down into smaller steps, plus employ some tricks to make saving up a little easier, it is more than possible to get there.