This is not meant to scare you. It is just a gentle reminder to keep your pencils sharp, and to point out that the mortgage you can qualify for and the mortgage you can comfortably afford may be two very different things. That said, you should know that if you've got good credit and a solid work record, the odds are very much in your favor. You may not be able to buy your dream house the first time out. But government agencies and private institutions alike are strongly motivated to do everything they can to get you into a house.
Many special programs are available.
The place most people should start is with what the bank is willing to lend. And that usually is based on certain key ratios. I will be happy to make this loan so that you two can buy your first home. It was probably never really like this, but there can be no doubt that mortgage lending today is far less personalized than it was in the past. To a large extent, that's because home mortgages have become investment commodities.