<prompt> Human: Hello PR! I am in the final stages of purchasing my first home. Its not too late to back out now, so I want to gauge whether what I am doing makes any sense. Heres my situation: 25 years old No debt Own my car 35k in cashliquid investmentsemergency fund 35k in 401kIRA 85k salary Renting in Northern Virginia area 900mo 10 min commute to workHouse: 350k comps Seller agreed to 320k plus closing costs, sold as-is Renovations are estimated at 25k, but arent required for the home to be livable unfinished basement, aging HVAC, no washerdryer I am ready to put down 5 and put some money in immediate renovations. PITI, PMI, HOA 2300 60 min commute to workI understand that in most situations, this wouldnt make sense at all. However, my cousin is willing to live with me and rent most of the home for 1400 a month, so this will be cash outflow neutral with my current rent. Cousin is super responsible and stable, he understands that this will be a purely business landlord-tenant relationship, will keep emotions out of any renting-related issues as will I, and estimates to remain a tenant for at least 5 years. Another consideration is the low interest rate environment and my areas strong housing market home value could possibly rise to 400k? Or plummet back down to 150k, a la 20082009 recession... who knows.TL:DR: Should I buy a house that I otherwise shouldnt, given that my cousin will pay most of my mortgage and help me build equity?EDIT: Thanks for all the responses and feedback! To be clear, I could technically afford the full mortgage on my own... It would just be very painful and Id likely have to tighten my budget. And I know my cousin or even I may get hit by the proverbial bus, but I wanted to see if yalls though that the rewards outweighed the risk.EDIT 2: There seems to be some confusion as to why I am even considering this move, so I wanted to clear it up. Reiterating my response to uaBoglehead, assuming the happy path, I will be 5 years ahead of the the mortgage curve and will have built equity with no difference in monthly cash outflow, while hopefully experiencing some appreciation. Also, interest rates are super low right now was able to lock down 3.75, and housing prices in the area may appreciate admittedly, speculative. If housing prices increase at the same rate as my savings, whats the point? Might as well lock in a good rate and a good price now. Feel free to poke holes in this logic. Assistant: Why such a low down payment?Also, going from a 10 min commute to an hour commute is tough. Do you know what youre getting yourself into?My vote is noHuman: Low down payment because I dont have enough money for 20 down, closing costs, and renovation costs. Yes, the commute gives me serious pause. Made the trip a few times; not fun.  <response>: Then why do it? Youre spending money to downgrade your life. 