<prompt> Human: Ive read through a few posts on here regarding similar topics, but Im still on the fence about whether or not this is something I should pursue.Im 24 and make 60kyr. I have a solid amount of student loan debt that I am paying 1kmo into and should be paid off in under 8 years, but I dont have any credit cardcar debt.I live in an area with very cheap property costs, but it is hard to know if I will be biting off more than I can chew with purchasing a house. I probably wouldnt even be considering it, but Im already paying 750 a month on rent, and if I were to buy a house, I would be looking for a 4br2ba and renting out the basement.Obviously there are a lot of proscons about purchasing a house, but I have only a very shallow knowledge of all things personalfinance work. Im going to lay out my perspective below, and if you are able, please correct my misconceptions, any any additional advice would be much appreciated.Pros:- Purchasing an asset like a house will be hugely valuable long term. I can do things like take lines of credit against the house and use that money to pay off my student loans, but at a lower interest rate. but perhaps this is dumb and I should just rent a place and use the disposable income to pay off my loans quicker?- Renting out the basement will bring the cost of my mortgage down to the point where I am not paying much more for housing that I am currently- If I decide to move in 5ish years and I can sell the place, it will be much easier to purchase a new place than it would be if I was renting over the next 5 years... Obviously the place wont likely sell for some time, but during that time hopefully I can rent out the top and bottom separately and have the mortgage pay for itself... too optimistic?- The housing market will likely be getting better in the next 5-10 years, so it is better to buy now when the costs are down and interest rates are down, then it is to waitCons:- Purchasing a house is a long term commitment, and I wont likely find a buying once I am ready to move, and it may hamper my ability to change jobsmove out of state- there are a lot of hidden costs when buying vs renting - shit breaks, etc- I could be using my disposable income to pay off student loans with a high interest rate, and buy a house down the road once they are closer to being paid off by then likely having a higher salary.- A lot more work - being a landlord, maintenance, mowing the lawn, etc not too bad of a con though imoI feel like Im missing several cons that I was thinking about while writing out the pros section... hmmm.Anyway to have a better understanding of my financial situation, here is my incomebillsIncome4000mo take home - fluctuates based on quarterly bonuses, but 4000 is current average although it has been increasing steadily since I started the job. I also expect a raise when I get another certification in August.Bills- Student loans - 1000- Rent - 750 all inclusive- 401k - 200- food, gas, entertainment etc - 500I currently live with my girlfriend, but I make significantly more than she does, and most of her income goes to her student loans, and she takes on several of our additional bills. We have been together for 3 years, so things are serious, but I think I would rather take on the mortgage of the house myself so that we dont financially intertwine ourselves without being married first.Any help is much appreciated. Ive been reading a lot over the last few days, but still dont have a firm grasp on all of this. I really wish they had taught some sort of intro to finance class as a required core class in university. Important shit to know, and there is a large gaping hole in my understanding.Thanks!  <response>: In your shoes, Id try to chip away at that student loan debt as it sounds like you have a fairly significant amount of student loan debt... possibly aim to eliminate it before you look to buy. This would, at minimum, improve your chances of a more favorable mortgage arrangement.Also you dont mention how much cash you currently have on hand so I assume youd be looking at financing more than 80, which is when PMI comes into play although there are ways around this like with financing the mortgage into 2 separate mortgages - essentially your primary mortgage at 80 of purchase and a second mortgage at 20.The one thing Id think about when considering buying versus renting is that, yes, when you rent the money is gone. however, when you buy, the amount you pay monthly that goes to interest, property taxes and PMI if applicable is also essentially gone except that there are tax advantages to what you pay out in interest and property taxes. Only what you contribute towards principal is essentially retained as equity. Obviously you cant do anything about property taxes, but you can change how much you pay towards interest by putting more down up front, going with a 10, 15 or 20 year mortgage as opposed to 30 or just contributing more monthly than what the mortgage payment minimum is. When you look at it that way, I believe it becomes more enticing to put more of a down payment up front so youre not paying as much over the long haul.Id at least compare what youre paying per month in rent with what your estimated costs will be to service the loan i.e. interest plus property taxes to determine which is more financially viable. 