<prompt> Human: Background: Canadian Graduated 6 months ago with a degree in engineering. Employed and expect to remain with the company for the foreseeable future, but I cannot be 100 sure of this. No debt whatsoever. Currently renting a basement for 800month. Monthly expenses: Internet: 55 split three ways 18 Cell phone: 45 1 year left on contract, will move to prepaid when it expires Food: 150-200 Gasoline parking: 90 Electricitywaterheating: 65 Misc: 30 Total monthly expenses: 1200-1300 ___Im at a cross-roads right now. The lease on the basement expires next June and I dont intend to renew it. This leaves me with some choices: A Rent an apartment The vast majority of apartments Ive been looking at are old and mediocre and the rent is 750-900. B Buy a house I cant afford a house, I have no use for a 2-3 bedroom house, I have no desire to rent the other rooms, dont want to deal with maintenance. C Buy a condo The condos Im currently looking at are brand new they are being built right now and are in the 150k-170k range which I can afford. Way nicer than the majority of apartments available. Mortgage is similar or less than what Id pay in rent. Condo fees are low because there are very few if any amenities. Property tax is fairly low since its a smallish condo. Parents can help a little bit with downpayment 2900 builders grant on downpayment. Does purchasing the condo make sense financially? Any advice?  <response>: The best advice Ive heard of in terms of buying a house is: Do you want to live in that house.This way, as long as you can maintain your payments, it wont bother you if the market goes up or down. 