I think that no less then a $1000.00 is good. It is a show of good faith that you will follow through with the contract. If you only place a small amount and then change your mind about the house it makes it easy to walk away.this what the sellers think. Also in the case of more then one offer you may stand out over the other one. Just remember you are trying to show your honest intent to the seller what looks better $100 or $1000?

Your good faith money or hand money is a reflection of your commitment to the purchase of the house. Therefore, you should consider the price of the house. Some will suggest 3-5% of the sale price...others will say that you should plan on no less than $1000.
Ultimately, use your buyer's agent for guidance and make hand money a strong part of your offer...show you are committed!

Joe,

Speaking from personal experience and doing mortgage this truly does vary and depends on what the seller is willing to accept, what kind of working relationship the 2 realtors have, what kind of contract you wrote(inspections, no inspections, high or low dedcutible,closing date, bank etc). I have seen clients put only $100 down and then I have other clients who put 5-10% down as good faith. I have never seen a "typical" good faith down payment every transaction is different and again it goes back to does the seller feel comfortable with what your putting down because at the end of the day if you only put down $100 thats all you lose compared to the sellers loosing all those days on the market. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me 1-800-839-6186 x334