你适合买房还是租房？

　　With housing prices down significantly in many parts of the country and interest rates low, it may be an affordable time for twenty somethings to buy that first home.

　　如今美国很多地方的房价都有了大幅下跌，银行的利率又很低，似乎正是80后购置人生第一套房产的好时机。

　　In some instances, the price of owning can be comparable to renting in the long run. But a lot of uncertainty still remains about the housing market and the economy-making the decision to buy more complicated.

　　有些情况下，买房跟长期租房的花费相差无几。不过楼市和经济仍然有很多不确定因素一一所以做决定还是件挺复杂的事情。

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　　Nicole Stivers, a 24-year-old who works in public relations in Contra Costa County, Calif, purchased her first home with her fiance in February. They were able to capitalize on what she calls a "perfect storm"----job stability, a desire to settle down, a surge in home foreclosures and the $8, 000 tax credit for first-time buyers.

　　妮科尔·斯蒂弗斯现年24岁，在加利福尼亚州康特拉哥斯达县从事公关工作，今年2月跟未婚夫买下了他们的第一套房产。她称目前的现状为“完美风暴”一一他们两人工作稳定、希望安定下来，目前有大量的房产丧失赎取权，而且初次购房者可享受8，000美元的税收减免一一他们正好抓住了这一时机。

　　Still, the move was not without its concerns. "Would we be able to afford this if we both lost our jobs? Do we have enough for a down payment? I have enough for moving? It's really nerve-racking when you're first doing it," says Ms. Stivers.

　　当然，他们做出这个决定也不完全就是高枕无忧的。妮科尔说，“如果我们双双失业，还能供得起房吗？我们的钱够付首付吗？我的钱够搬家吗？头一次买房可真是伤脑筋啊。”

　　Here are some questions to consider when deciding if buying or renting is the right choice for you:

　　在决定买房还是租房更适合你之前，可以先考虑以下这些问题：

　　How long do you plan to stay in your home? "There are high transaction costs associated with buying and selling a house," says Dean Baker, co-director at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, so home buyers should plan to stay put for at least four to five years.

　　你打算在新买的房子里住多久？经济与政策研究中心联席主任迪安·贝克说，“买卖房产交易费用很高，”因此如果打算购房的话，至少要住四五年才划算。

　　The reasoning? The costs for buying and then selling a home-which can include a real-estate agent's fee, a transfer fee, closing costs, and inspector and surveyor fees-could add up to about 10% of the sale price, or roughly1.5 years worth of rent. "If you average that over 10 years, it is not that big a deal," says Mr. Baker. "But if you average it over, say two years, you're paying an awful lot of money to own a house for a short period of time."

　　原因何在呢？买了房子再卖掉所需的费用——包括房产中介费、过户费、买卖手续费、验房师和估价师的费用一一加在一起大概是房价的10%，或者大致相当于一年半的房租。贝克说，“如果你把这个费用分摊到10年，那就不是个大数目了，不过如果要分摊到两年，那就意味着，你要为短期拥有一个房子付出很贵的价钱。”