<prompt> Human: Before you say no, let me explain.I live in New York City where gentrification and being priced out of your apartment and neighborhood are all too real. I have been thinking lately that the best use of my money might be to start saving for a down payment in order to a possibly bring my monthly expenses down slightly depending on the price of the condoco-op, b shield myself from inevitable and potentially large increases in rent, and c invest in an asset that is almost guaranteed to significantly appreciate in value by buying a condoco-op.I know the conventional wisdom is to maximize your retirement savings and pay down debt before saving for larger goals like this; however, with my job I have an amount equal to 10 of my gross earnings contributed to a defined-contribution plan as well as being a participant in a defined-benefit pension plan. Ive also got an IRA with a small amount of money in it. With 30 years on the horizon before retirement, Im feeling confident in my prospects there plus I could continue contributing to my IRA once Ive saved for a down payment. As for student loans, I am on an income based repayment plan and the minimum payments will still allow me to be paid in full in less than 20 years. My student loans are my only debt.So, is it unwise at this point to funnel money towards buying a home instead of contributing more to retirement and paying down student debt in order to hedge myself against eventually being priced out of my current apartmentneighborhood and the further risk of that cycle repeating at every new place? Would it be further unwise to hold that money in a very conservative mix of bond and stock index funds in a taxable account since this purchase would be at least 5 years out maybe a bit longer based on what Im able to save?Thanks for your help.  <response>: I would say that as long as youre putting enough in your 401k to maximize any available employer match and the interest rate on your student loans is low youre probably okay. Make sure you arent carrying any high interest debt. 