How much can you save? With various assistance programs you can probably get a downpayment in for about 10% -- maybe youd' need the full 20% but let's say it's 10% for funsies. Even if you're insisting on living in Seattle, you should really be able to get 125k together in 5 years, twice that if you're frugal, and you'll be able to find something for a million and a quarter. Prices may very well keep rising, but you're making enough money that unless you refuse to make cutbacks this is a fixable problem.