At what point can I buy my first property?

[Antonio Cypert]

I've been saving my pennies and will be closing in on $10k saved in about 4 months. I've been thinking about this for a long time and the number I have had in my head is I need around $25k saved if I want to buy a property that is $100k. The thing is I live in the Phoenix area and I would like to invest somewhere that I'm familiar with, and if that's the case I'll need to save 3-4 times my original estimate. At my current rate of savings that won't be for another 8-9 years... and I'm far too impatient for that.

What options do I have that can help me increase my buying power and be able to invest in my first property in the next 1-2 years rather than the next 8-9?