15 years ago my wife and I got married and bought our first place. We were told it was a huge mistake and that the market was going to collapse at any moment and we were just throwing money away. We sold that place ~3 years ago for over 110K than we bought it for, we then rolled that money into our dream home. Again we were told the market was going to drop any day now. 2 Sundays ago a realtor approached me while I was getting the dogs ready for a walk and asked if we would consider selling as they had someone wanting to buy. They were offering 40K over what we paid, we didn't sell as we intend to own this house until we die.

At the same time 15 years ago a friend and his wife who kept telling us what a mistake we were making opted to rent an apartment and "save" money. They got dinged on rent increases year after year and every time they moved the rent went up more. Currently they are in a 3 BR apartment in St. Vital paying more than our mortgage and property tax combined. Their savings lost ground year over year as the house prices exploded, interest rates tanked, and cost of living marched upwards.

If you can buy a house and it's right for your lifestyle go for it.