<prompt> Human: My girlfriend and I are looking to buy a house soon. Actually wanting to build a new house in the suburbs. Just had a few questions about some things...What is the best way to go about the process?We are planning on getting married, is it better to be married before getting pre approved? Should we both have our names on the mortgage? How much can I afford? Background:I am 28M, make 93k before taxes. After taxes, 401k and health insurance, my take home is 5kmonth. I have no student loans or credit card debt, my credit score is 749 last I checked. I owe 30k for my truck to my credit union and use and pay off a chase credit card every month with out interest. I have 30k in savings for down payment My SO is 29F, her net income after health insurance and 401k is 3kmonth. She has student loans of 5k. She will have paid off her car in 3 months 400month. And she has 2k in credit card debt. Credit score 700Current Monthly Expenses:Rent- 1000 for me. 600 for her. We do not currently live togetherVehicle and insurance- 850 for me. 500 for her 100 when her car is paid offPhone service- 125 for me. 0 for her riding out her parents plan. I love itGroceries- 300 for us both we eat together everydayEntertainment- 400 for dates, bars, etc..Electricity, gas, water, cable, internet- 175 for me split w 3 other roommates. Hers is included in rent. Student loans- 200month I offered to pay for it so there would be no interest but shes a proud woman and wants to pay it all on her own. I get it Gym- 0 for me company pays, 30 for herIm sure there are other expenses but I cant think of them right now. I know a lot of those expenses will be combined when we live together anyway. I guess my question is, should we both be on the mortgage? Should it be just me? Does it matter if we are married? Can I even afford to buy a house? Thanks for your input, Id love to get some feedback on this. Assistant: Dont buy a house with someone youre not married to, ESPECIALLY if you havent lived together before. If you do get married, wait until after your girlfriend pays those loans and credit card. At that debt to income, it should be gone within months. Human: Thanks for the reply. We pretty much live together anyway, we stay at each others houses every night. So I know living with her will absolutely not be a problem. Are you saying dont buy a house if we are not married because it may not work out?  <response>: Dude, a drawer-full of their belongings and a toothbrush is a lot different from the entirety of someones belongings and their household habits. I strongly advise you live together in a rental before doing this. Your housing costs are already dirt cheap anyways. 