<prompt> Human: My fiance and I will be getting married in late October finances for that already covered through gifts and savings. Before then, wed like to be settled in our own house. Id prefer to own, because we intend to have a dog and Im told its a better financial decision than renting if you can pull off the down payment. Together, well be able to make a 33k down payment on a house, so were looking at in the 200-285k max price range. This is a bit difficult to pull off since were looking in the DC Metro Area, but not impossible. Im making 55k a year gross pay, and while his annual gross pay is up in the air, we know he can pull in at least 1200month at his safety job. Hes currently applying for something more central to his field of study. Im concerned that since were still fresh out of college were not very savy about expenses and budgeting, and its possible well be taken advantage of by people quoting us way higher prices on houses and higher rates on mortgage loans. The other problem is the down payment cleans us out entirely, we would have no additional savings or safety net. Its likely one or the other set of parents could cover us in a life-threatening situation, but Im more concerned about non-emergency unexpected expenses, such as a car breaking down or something in the house breaking. Ive been budgeting a mortgage payment of about 1.2k each month, and that gives us very little wiggle room for the first few months if big costs come up.So my question is, should we wait and save more for a larger down payment and safety net, or would it be an alright financial decision to move ahead now?TLDR: Wanna buy a max 285k house with a 33k down payment, we come home each month with about 4.3k together. Down payment cleans us out. Good idea or bad idea?  <response>: You should wait, you do not have nearly enough money. There are a many more fees associated with home owning as well as unexpected expenses, you probably need close to double the amount you have currently to account for everything including downpayment. Also home owning does not really save you money unless you end up living there for something like 15-20 years, plus there is a lot of added work like maintaining your home, compared to an apartment where you have to do minimal maintenance its included in your rent fee . It will also allow you to move easier. 