What's up with Arizona?

[Austin Bull]

Hi, my name is Austin Bull and I'm a new REI from Arizona. I'm 26 and work an hourly job as a mid-level plumber. The hurdle for me right now is that with my pay rate, I can only get pre-approved for a little less than 300k by myself.

I want to get into the game in Arizona because I think the market is one that will still grow. But your average 3bd, 2bath house in a decent neighborhood seems to be at least 350-450k right now.

Should I keep looking in az? Should I go out of state to get in the game that way?

I'm planning on house hacking, so I should be able to afford a 350-450k house with roommates, but I don't know if the banks trust that since this is my first property and the DTI would be like 55-70+% on those loans.

I'd like to avoid co-signing with my parents, but may have to . Any other glaring options you all see that I may be missing?

Thanks!