Buying a home to live in isn't a great investment plan. If you can't sell it free and clear, and not have to spend money from that sale as a result (such as for rent or a new place to live), it's not really an investment...or at least not a great one. That ~$100k you have could be put into the market and earning a larger return on average than average home appreciation is. There's so many factors though...would the condo be cheaper (mortgage + HOA + maintenance, etc) in the near term than your rent would be? If not you have lost opportunity cost of what investing the money while renting could build up in that near term too.

If, on the other hand, the cost of housing is cheaper than renting in the near term, buying would probably be better. Additionally, consider that condo's appreciate slower than single family homes, so the average appreciation mentioned above will be even lower - which favors renting.

For my situation, buying has never the best financial choice for me...but if you're trying to start a family or need the extra yard and such to be happy, sometimes making the best financial choice isn't the most important thing.