"Mere 367k" as if that isn't enough to afford the down payment on a nice home. Sure, you're not going to pay cash for a $3M penthouse in NYC, but I make well below 1/4 of that in a city and I'm well on my way to a down payment on a nice home for myself. I would recommend one SERIOUSLY reconsiders their budget/priorities if they are unable to build a house fund (even over a couple year period if starting from scratch) at $367k/yr.