I would seriously consider whether buying a house is the best investment right now for several reasons. Are rents so high in your area that owning would be a savings (remember to include taxes, insurance, and upkeep)? Are you in an area where houses are very likely to increase in value (building equity without increasing payments)? Is this where you want to retire (live in this house paid off for the rest of your life, if it doesn't work out that you sell it for a profit).
We don't all live in areas where investing in a house is a good financial decision. We may feel more comfortable, live in a better neighborhood than a rental, be able to do what we want with the place, etc., but many times it is a bad financial choice. If part of your financial freedom is living off the profits of a house sale, or pulling equity out of a house, beware. This last crash of the real estate market was the worst since the depression, but by no means the only one. I've been around long enough to see mini crashes, regional down turns, so called buyers markets, sellers markets, and the like.
If you really want to be financially independent, and at a young age, don't tie yourself down to a house. Find a really good rental and keep packing away the cash!