I think you should wait until you're ready for a primary residence.
In your post you mention buying a house to rent, yet you didn't provide any investment analysis suggesting you haven't run the numbers. If I'm right then your main motivation for buying now is FOMO on future appreciation. This is the stuff of bubbles.
Also, RE interest rates: At your price range people are paying not what they think a house is worth, but instead based on the payments they can afford. In other words, if interest rates increase it will put downward pressure on prices. This exact thing happened in the Bay Area last year.
Hold off and be patient. Your situation may change and/or you made decide you want to retire somewhere else. Housing had a good run, and it may continue to increase (who knows, I don't have a crystal ball), but I think it's more likely to go flat or even slightly negative for a few years.