<prompt> Human: I have read through multiple reddit posts about marriage before purchasing a home. Most of the comments generally go towards do not purchase before getting married. PERIOD I would like to extend this discussion beyond this period and figure out why a financial subreddit insists on this generally agreed upon idea. Most of the posts show these unconventional situations that would be frowned upon even if they were married. This is my situation:My partner and I have been living together for 4 years and have been together for 5. We each take home 4kmonth equally paid and are looking at a monthly payment PnI, property tax, PMI, HOA, Hazard Insurance of 3kmonth. We have agreed to split the down payment, all expenses, maintenance and repairs down the middle and will be getting a property agreement. The worst case is if we split and have agreed to sell and split the sale. I dont believe that it should always this resounding no.We are both investing into our 401k and Roth. Are credit is immaculate, and we decided not to put down 20 because we like having money liquid. Dont get sidetracked by the numbers, impart the wisdom I need to prevent myself from financial mistakes. Why is marriage preferred before purchasing a house? What if the couple was together for 10 years? Lets talk. Play devils advocate and sway me.  <response>: Why is marriage preferred before purchasing a house? What if the couple was together for 10 years?Two reasons:1. Divorce - When combining finances in a marriage, you have recourse through the courts to try to ensure an equitable split in assets. Outside of marriage, you run much higher risks and need to be more careful in how you structure the arrangement. You need to treat this like a business arrangement, draw up a contract covering different situations with a lawyer to advice both parties seperately, and have both parties sign. 2. Longevity - A mortgage is typically for a 15 or 30 year term. Unless you can reasonably commit to being with someone romantically for that long, tying your housing situation, a huge financial responsibility for decades, and your romantic relationship together can be incredibly messy. It is a great way to create a unforced error that massively disrupts your life. To be fair, the default advice should probably be Do not buy a house with someone unless you are married and you are both actually committed enough to stay together for decades. I think marriage used to largely be short hand for that, but given peoples changing approach to marriage many people get married with a realistic shelf life on their marriages less than 5 years. They should also not buy a home together. 