<prompt> Human: My girlfriend and I are renters in our late 20s and pay just about 1100 for our housing rent, utilities, etc every month. We have a great apartment in a multi-unit house in a great part of town for a decent price with cable and internet included.But were considering moving because wed like our dog and our landlord has a no-pet policy. Another apartment is difficult to find as the rental market here in Cleveland is out-of-whack with the RNC coming to town and owners trying to cash-in on the hotel room shortage.So were thinking it might actually make sense to just buy a house. With some back of the envelope calculations -- based on local tax rates, our best guess on an interest rate based on our credit scores, utility estimates, plus first-time home buyer programs and recent grad credits -- we might actually be able to afford something here while keeping our montly payment the same which would be nice to build equity, or even decreasing it which would build equity and help us save for a wedding.So, how do I find out how much house we can afford? Wed first like to see if there is anything in our price range worth buying or if we should wait a few years until both of our incomes increase.  <response>: If your mortgage broker tells you that you can afford a 500k home, buy a 250k home. 