Imo, a home to stay vs a house to invest are two very different scenarios.
In stay, you’re alternatives are renting, maybe you have different aspirations or goals around say owning a place or something for your parents, very different goals.
In real estate as an investment, you’re money is competing with all the alternative investment opportunities. FDs at 9.15%, P2Plending at 10~12%, mutual funds at 9~15% and so on. You want to see rental yields, land appreciation rates and so on. Commercial vs land vs residential and location would matter a lot as well. Not to mention legal clarifications around ownership.
And in both options and all alternatives, we’ve not even considered tax implications. So think wisely, google stuff, you’ll find a bunch.
For the wanting to stay bit, the right time right place is both you and your partner are maybe late 20s/early 30s and see a steady 6-9year window coming in career for location and have enough saved up for a down payment.
As an investment, if you’re buying real estate as investment on a loan, then you have to also add cost of capital to that equation.
Good luck