<prompt> Human: A friend and I were discussing this recently and Im curious to see what other people say. Im in my second-to-last semester of college so this is obviously way down the line for me, but Im trying to plan and establish my financial priorities going forward. Obviously student loans, emergency fund and retirement are all more important but Im debating whether and when I should ever start saving for a down payment. Also, how would owning or trying to buy property impact other aspects of my financial life?  <response>: When your life is stable and and unlikely to change significantly. That comes in a couple forms and the more you have the better home ownership looks. A good job with upward mobility in the same office or general area marriage to someone that also has a stable job or youve planned for them to have no job young kids family in the area Basically things that mean living in the same spot for at LEAST 7 years is a good idea. Under 7 years and you run a much higher risk of taking a loss trying to sell the house. 