At a time when many Americans are wondering how — and when — the housing market will recover, some people not only are encouraging first-time buyers to jump in to the market, they’re also helping them come up with a down payment. Twenty-seven percent of first-time buyers who purchased a home between July 2009 and June 2010 received a gift from family or friends to help with the down payment, according to the National Association of Realtors’ annual Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers survey, released at NAR’s annual conference here. That’s up from 22% a year earlier, and is the highest percentage in the more than 20 years the survey has been conducted, said NAR spokesman Walter Molony.