<prompt> Human: Im 21 years old and am looking at buying a home. Im making about 25k a year, and potentially have a raise coming up in the next few months. My dad told me that I should look at getting a duplex and renting out the other side. My bank is having a 0.125 interest rate discount on home purchases, and could also get a 80 mortgage. I honestly have no idea what Im doing. What else do I want to look for when buying a home?Assistant: Here is a checklist for getting ready to buy a house:1 Debt-to-income ratio of less than 33.2 At least 20 downpayment saved.3 Emergency fund equal to 5 months pay 5 house cost.4 Build up a good credit score so you will get the lowest possible interest rate on the mortgage.5 Be pretty sure you are going to live in the house for more than 5 years.6 Especially if buying in a new town Take the time to research and understand the neighborhoods, the housing market, the commuter and traffic patterns, before you buy. Rent for a while first.7 Decide on needs and wants for a house before you start shopping.8 Remember to check out tax and insurance costs for houses in your target group in your target location.9 Be cautious about HOAs and condo associations, read their rules, check out their costs.10 Pay equal attention to the property as a home, we love it! and the property as an investment, It is a good buy, and it will be easy to sell.11 By the way, check out the rental value and ease of rental almost no one does this, but, if your job moves across the country, being able to rent the property, at least for a while, might be a lot better than trying to make a hasty sale.12 Find a good inspector.Human: What if I dont know if I will be there for 5 years?  <response>: Then dont buy a house. 