<prompt> Human: Hi all!Ive been living in apartments since I moved out to Phoenix in 2008. Currently, I am paying 850 a month for rent right now, but with utilities it comes to between 1000-1200 depending on the time of year and with summer in Phoenix, its on the higher end right now... yuck! Unfortunately my significant others hours have been cut at work lately and we are much shorter on money than usual.I am kind of tired of throwing my money into an apartment, knowing I am not gaining anything out of it... and looking at the cost of some reasonable houses in the area, I feel that I could save a LOT of money per month if I were to purchase a house versus continue to rent. However, this would be my first time buying a house and I am absolutely terrified of making the wrong decision. My lease on this apartment is up in April and I am trying to think of the best plan of action to take before that time comes. I am doing my best to save money and pay off a credit card right now, but I dont have much in savings at this time. After I pay my credit card down to about 30 I am thinking about doing a pre-qual but I am not sure if doing so too early is going to lower my credit unnecessarily, since April is still so far away. If anyone has had a similar experience or has any advice to offer, it would be greatly appreciated!! EDIT: Thank you all SO much for the advice. I think youve made some very good points and I definitely want to get some homework done in paying off my credit card and car, saving 10 to 20 on a down payment, and THEN start looking at buying a house. Thanks again for all the honest feedback!!  <response>: It will most likely be more expensive to own a house. The benefits are that you typically get more living spacefreedom, and that part of that increased expense is actually contributing to your net worth.Before we can recommend whether a house is appropriate for you there is a lot more to tell us. Salary, current finances, future job expectations, and future city of residence expectations would be a good start. Just guessing though, if you dont have much savings and still have credit card debt that it wouldnt be a good idea for you. 