A few years ago I would've advised you to buy a house first. Now I'd say rent & have kids.

We bought a place a couple of years ago and now I have to go back to work even though I don't want to. Our house is at the lower end of the market (small house, small yard in cheap suburb) yet we can't afford for me to stay home. If we'd stayed in the rental property we were in I could've easily afforded to stay home.