<prompt> Human: So Im sitting on a little bit of savings 25k, dont really have a plan for it at the moment except maybe to start an IRA. I make a little over 40k a year, contribute to my 401k to the maximum employer match, and pay only 250m in rent to share a room in a house with my girlfriend and some other roommates. I have no loans, credit card debt, or car payments.My parents think I should buy a house. The thing is housing is pretty expensive where I live, but my rent is super cheap. Im not sure Im necessarily settled enough to want to buy a house for myself at the moment, and its expensive. My brother, however, lives in an area where housing is pretty cheap Pittsburgh but he pays a lot for rent, and doesnt make much money at all. So my parents think its a great idea for me to buy a 100k house in Pittsburgh and rent it to my brother for slightly more than the Mortgage. They say that housing is usually a pretty good investment, and that I should be owning at this point in my life. They make it sound like its all pretty simple and will almost definitely come out in my favor, that Ill just sell it later and get my money back. Personally, Im not convinced its so simple. I buy a house, pay closing costs, property taxes, upkeep, and technically be a long-distance landlord, doesnt sound like an amazing opportunity other than the chance to help my brother out. What do you guys think?Assistant: No way. Slightly more than mortgage and youre maybe breaking even after maintenance, etc., not to mention everything else you listed. If its such a grand idea let buy a house for their son, your brother .. tell them its a great investment and they can just sell it later and get their money back - see how that goes over with them. If you want to help your bro direct him to this sub and assist him to get his finances in order.Human: Well not like 1 more than the mortgage, but less than the rent market. Their idea is that I have this money, which Im not doing anything with, and that owning a house will be good for me, so I should put it to use vs. them just doing it to invest and help their son.Assistant: Ah, so ask them why you shouldnt just cut the middle step our and give him a check every month for the difference between what hes paying now and what youd charge him in rent? Thats what they are asking you to do, just be direct about it.This is such an exploitative situation. Human: The idea is more that I should own a house, because owning a house is good than it is that someone should help my brother. Cutting out the middle step doesnt really make sense, because that middle step of owning a house is sort of the point. But the rest of the posts here have pretty much confirmed my initial thoughts on the matter.  <response>: If this were about you, then they would be telling you to buy a duplex and live in one side of it and rent out the other for most of the mortgage.If you wind up with an FHA or something like that, you have to be an occupant for a specified amount of time, but with something like a duplex, you can then rent out both sides if you so choose.This is another thing that your parents dont seem to have considered - youre buying the house, which means your finances are getting pulled and theyre expecting you to be the owner occupant, but your actual situation is going to be a landlordtenant one, which could bite you in the ass if they find out. 