Now, it's $337,200.

現在則要價 337200 美元。

Even if you account for inflation, that's about a 45% increase in cost.

即使把通貨膨脹納入考量，房產花費還是增加了 45% 。

But buying a house is something I would like to do.

儘管如此，買房地產的確是我想達成的目標。

So I'm trying to figure out if I can.

所以我想看看我做不做得到。

The odds are pretty stacked against me.

機會對我真的不太有利，

I'm a millennial, and I graduated college in 2010, right in the middle of the recession.

我屬於千禧世代， 2010 年大學畢業，當時正值經濟衰退期。

When I entered the workforce, the job market was rough.

我踏入職場時，整個就業市場一片慘澹。

Like many of my peers, I have student loan debt.

我和多數同儕都背負著學貸，

And on top of that, there aren't very many starter or mid-price homes on the market.

更何況房產市場上很少看到初階或中階價格的購屋選擇。

(Why it's hard for millennials to buy houses)

(為什麼千禧世代買房這麼難）

My personal financial situation has to do with choices I made.

我的個人財務狀況和我做的選擇很有關係。

I changed careers at 27, I took out loans to go back to grad school, and I didn't manage to save any money before that.

27 歲時我改變了我的職涯方向，我申請貸款以回去念研究所，且在那之前我根本沒辦法存任何錢。

But that's not abnormal for someone my age.

可是在同年齡層裡，這情況並不罕見。

According to a LinkedIn study, it's common for millennials to change jobs about three times in the first five years after college.

LinkedIn 的調查顯示，對千禧世代來說，更換工作跑道是很普遍的，大學畢業後的五年內，我們平均會換三次工作。

And in the eight years I've been out of college, I've lived in New York City the whole time.

大學畢業以來的八年，我一直住在紐約市。

Median cost of a home here? $770,000.

這裡的房地產中階價位是多少呢？77 萬美金。

I certainly can't afford that.

我絕對買不起。

When I look at my income, cost of living and student loan debt, the idea of buying something as expensive as a house seems nearly impossible.

當我考慮我的薪水、生活費還有學貸，購買那麼昂貴的房子根本是異想天開。

My dream home would look something like this.

我夢想中的房子看起來大概是這樣，

Or this.

或這樣。

But even if my boyfriend and I took our combined income of $100,000 a year, that apartment is a pipe dream.

但就算我和男友一起拿出我們的薪水，一年十萬美金，這樣一間公寓仍不過是白日夢罷了。

I went to Business Insider's own financial planner, Lauren Lyons Cole.

我找上 Business Insider 的財務規劃師 Lauren Lyons Cole，

I figured if anyone could help me, it would be her.

她大概是唯一能幫得上忙的人。

When you're just starting out, you can calculate a general price range by taking your annual income and multiplying it by three.

要著手開始這類計算，你可以把年薪乘以三，來得到一個大致的價格範圍。

With a combined income of about $100,000 a year, that means a home that costs around $300,000 would be a good starting point.

若妳和男友的薪水加總起來一年有十萬美金，那就表示一幢約 30 萬美金的房子，會是個很好的起始點。

That's not as bad as I was expecting, but I have no idea what I can get for that price.

沒有我想像中的糟糕，但我不知道 30 萬美金可以買到什麼好房子。

With a budget like that in New York City, you probably aren't gonna find that many options.

以妳的預算，想在紐約市置產，妳大概不會有太多選項。

So you might have to make sacrifices, which could even mean relocating to another city.

所以妳可能得做出某些妥協，甚至考慮搬到另一個城市。

But then you have to figure out what kind of job options are there, and how much could you get paid to do the work you want to do.

但這樣一來妳就必須考慮那座城市裡的工作機會，還有妳想要的那份工作薪水大概是多少。

You have to think about which amenities you really want and which ones you can do without.

妳必須想想哪些生活周邊設施是必要的，哪些則是可有可無。

I've always wanted some kind of outdoor space, like maybe a balcony.

我一直很想擁有戶外空間，像是一個露天陽台，

A two-bedroom would be nice...

有兩間寢室會更好，

big windows...

大大的窗戶......

maybe a turret.

或許再加個塔樓。

What?

不行嗎？

I'm a millennial.

我可是千禧世代耶，

I'm idealistic.

我很理想主義的。

Once you have an idea of what you can afford and what you're willing to give up,

當妳決定好什麼是妳能負擔的、什麼又是妳願意讓步的，

you can take the next step and start looking at listings that are available in your price range.

妳就可以開始下一步：列出清單，思考在預算範圍內有哪些可行的選項。

With the budget Lauren and I came up with, I browsed options in a few cities I could see myself living in.

以我和 Lauren 一起訂下的預算，我開始瀏覽在一些我會喜歡的城市裡的房產選項，

I wasn't amazed with anything I came across, but there were some that were nice.

我並沒有看到什麼讓人驚豔的東西，但有些看起來的確還不錯。

Not so much in New York, especially when I compare it to the apartment I live in now, which is below market rent.

可是並沒有紐約的那麼好，尤其當我拿現在住的公寓比較，它比市面上的租金還低　。

I also checked out Grand Rapids, Michigan because it was number one on Business Insider's list of best housing markets for millennials.

我也看過了密西根州的大急流城，因為它是 Business Insider「千禧世代最佳房產市場」榜上的冠軍。

There I did find some amazing places within my budget, but I can't see myself picking up and moving there right now.

在那裏我真的找到一些在預算內、又令人驚豔的住處，但我覺得現在還不是時候立刻打包搬過去。

For me, owning a place isn't worth living somewhere where I don't know anyone and I don't have a job lined up.

對我而言，擁有自己的住處並不值得我搬去住在一個我不認識任何人，且不見得有工作機會的地方。

So I think for now I'm gonna keep renting and try to save up for a down payment.

所以此時此刻我想繼續租屋，同時試著存到房子的頭期款。

Maybe in a few years the price of avocado toast will go down, and I'll be able to afford that dream castle.

也許在幾年內，酪梨吐司會降價，然後我就能負擔得起夢幻城堡。

Maybe a balcony...

也許來個露天陽台，

a two-bedroom would be nice...

有兩間寢室就太好了，

big windows...

大大的窗戶……

maybe a turret.

也許再加個塔樓。