It doesn't always make sense financially to buy a home, in fact several times in the last decade it was a really bad idea. Not to mention if you are young you should travel, find what makes you happy, not have all your assets and yourself tied up in a semi-illiquid investment that could leave you underwater.

Presumably, the person we are chatting about is striving to save money, they may be in stocks or bonds instead of real estate... which are sometimes, though not always a better investment. They are assets, if not real.

So, this hypothetical person will have at least six months of salary to put towards whatever they decide to when they settle down.