<prompt> Human: I live in Fairfield County, CT - young, professional, working my way up. I make a good living, but constantly feel stifled by the extreme cost of real estate, higher taxes, etc. I see people my age in cities like Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Jacksonville, etc., buying brand new condos and lofts easily. Though they may make a little less in absolute terms, the cost of living is so much lower that they actually end up.I guess Im just curious if anyone here has similar observations - NY, DC, LA, SF, etc. It feels like if youre not in a hedge fund or Google or Microsoft, overcoming the cost of living to save up and maybe one day buy property is a disproportionately gargantuan task.  <response>: In LA, the demographics are changing so fast, sellers cant keep up with the buyers coming in. I am just now finishing up escrow for my first home, but it took many other failed offers because of buyers coming in with 20 down or more. Some are even coming in with 33 cash. Its happening all over LA county right now. To put it bluntly, the desired and up-and-coming areas are already competitive, and the gentrifying areas are reaching that level very quickly. Most new buyers have to be willing to look further along the outskirts to get something they want and that is in their range and not have much competition. 