I need some concrete advise here. I know all about needing good credit etc, but this issue is that I make about 65k a year, am single so no double income, and looking around it seems almost impossible to be able to buy a DECENT and NICE house in a good ne4ighborhood in the LA area.

While i I dont want to live in a hut in south central or some other run-down neighborhood, I also dont expect to be living in a 10 million dollar mansion, but even moderately prized places that are somewhat decent (and dont look like they needed renovation etc) in West LA, Pasadena, West Hollywood etc are about a million or so.

Down payment also doesnt seem to be making a huge difference: when you do those online mortgage calculators, the difference in mortgage between down payment and no-down payment is about 500 dollars a month. So, whether i dont own a house and save up for 5 years 500 dollars a month, or own a house and pay 500 dollars more every month in mortgage, doesnt make a difference with respect to end results.

So how am I on 65k and then after raises on a 90k salary going to afford a house? I know good credit is important, but let’s say you got all that….the mortgage payments are prohibitive (5000 a month for a 500k mortgage etc).

How does anybody afford a house? Be a millionaire? Be married and have a combined income of 500k? That doesnt seem right, as i know people with moderate incomes that own.

Who do I speak with? Where do I start?