<prompt> Human: I am a 26F with a steady job for 1 year and currently make 43K yearly. IF I could find a house in Austin, TX for under 175K could I buy it? Important things I have no childrendependents I have 80month in car insurance, no other debt, monthly expenses I have 28K in savings and am waiting to have 34K before I start looking I plan on staying in Austin for 5 years probably indefinitely I work from home and have plenty of time to fix up a home Im handy enough to add value to the property I would get a roommate when the place was decent if it needed workQuestions I know it will be hard, but would it be possible? If so, can I get a mortgage for more then the house costs and use money for fixing the place up? Is this a bad time to buy in Austin? I know the housing market is inflated and pretty much bonkers, but if I could find a good house at a good price would it be worth it? How much should I put on a downpayment? How far in advance should I start looking before buying? Anything I am missing? Im not looking for, dont buy a house, because youll never be able to find one in ATX right now this is hypothetical and dependent on if I could find a good house at a good price. I do really want to be a homeowner, but Im also pretty logical!Thanks in advance!Assistant: Fellow Austinite here, and owner of a home.Read up on debt to income ratio. The magic number for loan qualification is 36.So, very rough numbers: If you are making 43k, I would guess you bring home about 3k per month? Assuming you have no other debt, 36 of this is about 1000month to spend on your mortgage. This equates to about a 125k note, once you figure in taxes and insurance. Add 34k to this, and you have a 160k house in your price range.This is tough to find in Austin proper--have you looked in pflugerville?Human: I definitely want to stay in Austin proper. Even though I work from home, I plan events in Austin and need to be there a bunch. But, I am not above being far east, or north. I have no desire to be south, but thats just a personal preference. Where do you own?  <response>: You cant even get a condo in North Austin for less than 150K 