I moved to the city once I started working full time. I got lucky with "covid pricing" and managed to get a 1bedroom apartment for $1300. I live alone. I also have a car and student loans and I'm able to pay for everything on time with a bit of money left over at the end of the month (sometimes more if I work more hours/get an extra gig). Everyone would always tell me that it would be impossible, but I'm actually pretty good at managing my budget without financial help. That's why it's so frustrating to do calculations and see that, with the downpayment, I could afford a cheaper place (around $450-500k, depending on fees), because the monthly payments would be lower than my rent, but the approval process requires more than that (understandably).

Not looking into investing in education. I already spent too much time gaining a "valuable" degree that made me miserable. I'm super-lucky to be working in a field I adore, which to me is worth more than a larger paycheque. I've already come to terms with my financial situation as a single person, it's just that things have changed very recently with this potential downpayment.

If I had a co-signer who has a slightly higher income, would that make a difference?