In general, you don't want to invest any money that you absolutely need short-term into stocks. You should keep that money in a safe accessible place (savings account, money market, maybe short-term CD's). While it is enticing to get gains from the stock market, you have to ask yourself "If I want to buy a house in 1 year, and I put $11k into the market, but when I want to buy the market has dropped... do I still want to take out that money?"
What's the time frame on your house purchase, and how much do you think you'll need?