<prompt> Human: My boyfriend and I have been living in a duplex for about 3 years now, and just found out the landlady died two weeks ago. The family intends to sell the home. We had been looking to move anyway but this could very much move the timetable up more quickly than we expected. What we cant decide on is if we should keep renting, or if we should buy a home. We leaving in a economically depressed area where housing is VERY cheap. You can get a decent home in the nicer parts of town in the 90,000 range. You can buy a decent home in the less nicer parts of town for 30,000. Renting... doesnt seem as cheap. Most homes in the area are renting at a minimum of 650 and they go up from there. We lucked out with our place and pay 545 for a 3 bedroom. So, were stuck revving our wheels but not going in gear. While we can probably afford a place with higher rent, we just dont know if it makes sense. We would need help from our family to get the downpayment on a house, but after that wed have a lower monthly cost, meaning we could repay that more quickly. Conversely with a higher rent, wed need longer to save up for a downpayment later. Does that make sense at all, or is that a skewed logic?Heres a prime example: Im looking at a house tomorrow that I can rent for 700, or is listed for sale for 81,000. Am I wrong in thinking that buying this home probably be a better path?Any insights that could help us?Assistant: I have a couple of, well, three, disconnected thoughts.1. Why is property so cheap? Usually theres a reason. If the area continues to depress, youll be paying 81k for a house thats worth 10k. 2. What is your financial sitch? Youve got a budget? Emergency fund? Youre debt free? Youve got 16K closing costs in the bank to buy the house? 3. Why arent you married? We see lots of people come through rpersonalfinance who were living together and now they are breaking up and their finances are in the crapper. This isnt to suggest you must marry to be happy. This is about finances.Human: We are in a depressed town. Thankfully we both have good stable jobs and plan to hold on to them with our cold lifeless hands. But Johnstown... the cost of living is insanely low. Average household makes 26k, we are making about 80.And... no, we dont have most of those things entirely. Most of the people I know who have bought homes havent had to pay 16g, no where near it. Closer to about 5-6g. We have about 4k on hand and our parents are willing to extend a sum to help. Not married cuz we dont want to drop the money on a wedding that could be going to buying a house!  <response>: You make 80k, pay 550 a month in rent and only have 4k saved? It sounds like you need to get better saving habits before buying property tbh. 