It depends on your purpose for purchasing a home. If you are purchasing a home as your primary residence, then my suggestion is to purchase a home as soon as you can afford one. Once you find a property you like, if you can afford the down payment and are qualified for a loan, you should purchase the property immediately. Do not hesitate because just because the value of the property might go down in the near future, because those are only short term market fluctuations. In the long run, the value of your property will appreciate. Another thing you should keep in mind is not to wait and save up for a dream home. Chances are the dream home’s value will appreciate faster than you can save up the additional money. Just buy a starter home and you can start saving money and gain equity on your starter home. If you are purchasing property as an investment, a variety of factors will constitute when you should purchase a property. The concept of investing on properties is much more complicated. Many factors including what type of investment you are making (long-term or short-term) and future forecasts for the market are taken into account.