Air Force guy in Washington D.C.

[Quentin Yip]

Hey everyone,

My name is Quentin Yip and I'm an Air Force Captain that's been in the D.C. area for about 8 months.  I have rented since I graduated college and am looking to potentially purchase a home in a year or so. 

My main goals for real estate is to first buy a home for me and my wife and then eventually branch out to own rental properties for additional income.  My main concern being in the military is the uncertainty of how long I am at any given location and where I'll be in 3-4 years.  I joined BiggerPockets.com after reading about your site in many different sites including reddit and Mr. Money Mustache. 

I'm looking for this forum's expertise to accomplish both my goals. My time horizon is pretty long so I am very willing to play the long-term game. My first question to everyone is whether I should stop my retirement saving in order to build up a down payment for a house? I have maxed out my Roth TSP for the last 2 years and have also maxed Roth IRA for several years. Is saving a down payment worth potentially losing out on big compounding gains in the future? Thanks everyone and look forward to your input.

-Quentin