<prompt> Human: Hi all,Ive read a lot about this topic and see a lot of mixed feelings about it. Basically, we are looking into buying a house. We found a great one, great location, 3 years old and less than our monthly budget. Only problem is, we are a couple grand short for a down payment. The market is so competitive and if we wait the couple of months to save the money it will almost certainly be gone. My question is, my fiance has a 401k that he only has about 6k in. If we take a loan out for, say, 3k, well be able to pay it back before the end of this year. Is that a completely stupid idea, or is it not a big deal since its such a small amount?  <response>: Are you a couple grand short of 20 down, or a couple of grand short of 5 down?Are you going to use up all of your e-fund and all of your liquid assets to make this down payment? Have you factored in all of the fees and miscellaneous costs when purchasing a home probably an extra 5-10k depending on the cost of the home.I wouldnt take a loan out against your 401k, and I would just wait to buy a house at a later time. 