Over the past decade, rents and home prices in major cities across the country have escalated rapidly. As young adults transition from college into the workforce, already owing an average of $20,000 in student loan debt, securing affordable housing in the current market can pose an overwhelming challenge.

Because our nation's largest cities contain the best prospects for high-paying jobs and professional career paths, young professionals still migrate to major metropolitan areas like New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Boston. The high cost of rent, however, often leaves them trapped in a prolonged rental cycle, unable to save enough money for a down payment on a home, or prompts them to become financially overextended by taking on large, risky home mortgages.