You think you could buy something nice in NJ for substantially less than Medford? Ha!

Ahem. Seriously, though, I'm not a huge fan of condos, but with a condo you're putting most of each month's money towards something you own, not just giving it away. That *does* make a difference; it also helps you build up a good record for buying your house. And as folks have said, some condos are actually quite nice -- you just need to be willing to do the legwork to find them.