re: Wise friends of the MB: Am I anywhere close to buying a home? UPDATED pg. 3

You can buy a house responsibly anytime as long as you have the 6+month emergency fund saved up, 20% to put down on the house and are putting at least 15% back into your retirement portfolio.

Can you buy before that? Sure. But you'll save yourself a ton of money in the long run if you wait for those conditions to be met.