<prompt> Human: Hi, nbsp;Im still kind of new to Reddit, and after reading through the rules, FAQ, wiki page, and other pages - I think here would be the best place to post. If not, please let me know. nbsp;I am graduating college this summer after 7 years. It has been a long time coming! Working full time through college has allowed me to build up minimal debt 7000 in student loans, 400 in credit card debit, car paid off early. I also have been able to put away money into a savings account through automatic transfers with Bank of America and lump sums when I can. nbsp;That said, I have 20,000 saved up. I think thats awesome! nbsp;Now, at 24, I would like to start considering buying a home. However, 20 for a down payment does not go far in the Las Vegas market. 100,000 homes in Las Vegas are not in desirable areas...as I am sure with most places in the U.S.nbsp;However, Im not looking to buy for another 3 years or so. nbsp;How can I give my down payment some extra umph over these next few years? A brokerage account I feel would not give enough in return for the fees. nbsp;Some other info: I have an emergency nest egg of 3 months pay I do not have an IRA Credit score 780-799 Yearly income of 37,000 Have a 401k that started 3 years ago I would like to be in Henderson or the Southwest Las Vegas area Ive never had any financial background I get no financial support from my parentsnbsp;Thanks a lot for reading this, I look forward to see what comes of this!- TwisterII  <response>: I know youre mainly concerned with down payment, but: Yearly income of 37,000Thats going to limit your ability to buy a home more than anything else. Rule of thumb is your house should not cost more than 2.5x your annual gross salary - that means, in your case, 92,500.That rule is based on normal interest rates - 678 mortgages. In these low rate environments, you can probably get away with 3x. Maybe even 4x. 4x would be 148,000. If you want to buy a home with a 20 downpayment, and a cost well above 100k - I would look to increase your income first. That being said, theres not much you can do to add oomph to your down-payment. You can get a bit better of return by investing in CDs, or in I Bonds make sure to read the rules about withdrawing before 1 year. However, youll probably get a rate of return that is closer to 2, vs. 0, which is nice - but even over 5 years that adds 2k to your down payment fund, while inflation will likely increase housing prices by more. My vote goes to: Make sure you get the best job you can, and increase your income where possible; If you buy, buy something thats reasonable given your income; Remember, even if you buy a house, you should still be saving 15 for retirement on top of your housing payment - or at least 10; Dont invest your down payment fund in stocks. Too volatile over such a short term; Be patient. If you just graduated from school, whos to say you know where youll live for a long time. How is the Vegas job market for your degree? I bought at age 25 in the Boston area, and work in finance - about 24 of Boston jobs are in the finance sector Make sure youre not pigeon-holing yourself to an area that wont have the jobs you need. 