After my last startup failed 5 years ago, I planned to buy my first house somewhere in 2021, hoping that by then some crisis would happen to lower house prices

After my last startup failed 5 years ago, I planned to buy my first house somewhere in 2021, hoping that by then some crisis would happen to lower house prices and to give me some time to pile up a bit less than 400k$. I don't want to spend more than that on a house even if I had more money, I don't like mortgages and I had no idea in which country I wanted to live, so renting was a convenient option. I had to decide whether to put it in indexes or to save cash in tax free saving accounts. I went with the saving accounts so I'm sitting on cash. I often half regretted not going with indexes but having 5 years of time before settling down wasn't enough time to risk it. If I lose my job I'll start eating into my savings and get a smaller house / delay the stable house plan. The good side of being laid off, would be spending more time with my sons.