I just closed on a home purchase last week and would still tell you not to buy if you know your time frame is at most 4 years. The odds of selling for a higher price in 4 years are very low. Suck it up and rent. I rented for almost 2 years after selling out, and found a very good deal on a buy or I would not have bought back in. If you could find a distressed property in a nice area, then it might pay to buy it. However, the time to look at real estate as an investment is not now.
