<prompt> Human: Some more background of me. I work in Charlotte NC making 35k a year, I have a dog so some vet bills, I have no gf although I will probably will have one in the future, Im not gunna blow money on her left and right but Im sure you understand. and other than those things I am extremely frugal and hate spending money. My sister, who I could rent to, could help pay for the mortgage. I am just having no luck finding a good rental property and figured I might explore other alternatives. I have 6k in the bank as savings but thats about it other than some stocks which I have 3.2k in. I would rather not liquidate my stocks if I can help it but I am in a secure job in a company owned by family friends who actually recommended to me that I try and buy a house. And I think it would be a better investment than just paying for somebody elses mortgage. If you need any other information feel free to ask, I want to hear everybodys thoughts.  <response>: I bought a house when I was in my 20s and made around 35k a year. Upsides:1 I bought a cheap house, significantly less than what the bank was willing to approve me for. My household income is significantly higher now, and the low mortgage payment is a blessing and I should have it paid off in the next 5 years. 2 This gave me more space than the 1br apartments I was sharing with my SO and 3 cats.3 I no longer had to move every year or two, which saved stress and cost.Downsides:1 I didnt have enough for a down payment so I ended up doing a FHA loan with the seller paying closing costs and that going into the total cost of the loan. I actually got a check for 400 at closing.2 I had to have PMI on the loan that took me over 5 years to get rid of.3 I had to get a HELOC to put new siding on the house, which was at a high interest rate and also took years to pay off.In retrospect, I would do it again because I didnt have the financial acumen to do it better at the time. When I look at the interest and PMI I paid, it was an expensive lesson but got me to where I am now. If I knew then what I know now, I would have rented another year or two while saving up enough for a down payment and house expenses fund. 