(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Hello! It's time again for Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
Many Americans and people who come to America want to own a home.
Home ownership is part of the American Dream: the hope that if you work hard and are treated fairly, you can buy a place to call your own.
But buying a home can be difficult. Even talking about it can be confusing. The language of real estate – the buying and selling of property – includes its own terms, phrases and expressions.
For starters, let's talk about who has the advantage in the real estate market. Well, that depends. A buyer's market means a lot of people are trying to sell their homes. People shopping for a home – the buyers – have a lot of choices, and the price of property can be low.
But in a seller's market, more people are trying to buy property than there are homes for sale. As a result, people selling their homes can charge a lot of money. Or they can wait for just the right offer before deciding to accept a bid. In other words, sellers have the upper hand.
So, let's say you finally find a place. You and the seller agree to a price. But most houses cost a lot more than anyone can simply buy outright in cash. So you put some money down. For the rest, you take out a mortgage – a loan from the bank to help you pay for your home.
Having a mortgage -- or carrying a mortgage -- is normal. A lot of Americans owe money on their homes. But you never want to be upside down in your mortgage. That means you owe more than your house is worth.
Having a home with more debt than value is also called being underwater. You can find yourself underwater if you buy at the peak of a real estate boom but then something happens that causes the value of your home to drop. Maybe a highway is built through your front yard, or a natural disaster strikes, or violent riots terrorize your once peaceful neighborhood. Suddenly, your house is not worth as much as you paid for it.
People who find themselves upside down in their mortgage often have no choice but to foreclose. This means the bank becomes the official owner of the house. The buyers have to move out, and they lose the the money they had originally paid for the property.
Before foreclosing on a family, banks sometimes offer a grace period. This extra time allows the homeowner to pull together some funds to pay the mortgage.
Now, let's listen to a dialogue using some of these terms.
A: Hey, thanks for coming over. I have big news to tell you!
B: You're getting married.
A: No. But it's almost as life-changing.
B: Well, don't keep me waiting.
A: I'm buying a house!
B: But I love your apartment. It's so hard to find a rental with a great outdoor deck like this!
A: I know. Believe me, I love this apartment too. But I'm tired of paying rent. It's time to invest in some property. And right now, it's a buyer's market.
B: That's true. There are so many houses available that prices have really hit rock bottom.
A: I know! Housing prices have not been this low in decades. Now is the time to look for a great deal.
B: My cousin Bernie bought a place 15 years ago in this neighborhood for a song. It was so cheap! And now he owns it free and clear.
A: Lucky guy. My friend Rebecca is not so lucky. She bought her place three years ago when the market was peaking.
B: Is she carrying a big mortgage?
A: Not only is she mortgaged up to her eyeballs, she's actually upside down in her mortgage.
B: Oh no. She owes the bank more than the house is worth in the current market? Being underwater is the worst situation to be in.
A: It gets worse. She just lost her job and can't make payments. The bank is threatening to foreclose!
B: Yikes. That is serious. Maybe she can ask her bank for a grace period. If they give her three or four months to find a job and get back on her feet, maybe they won't have to foreclose on her house.
A: Actually, she found a job in another city. But she can't move and sell her house right now because she's underwater and will lose all the money she has invested.
B: Well, that's a catch-22 if ever I heard one.
A: Stories like my friend Rebecca's scare me to death. Maybe I'll wait a little longer before becoming a homeowner.
B: Just keep an eye on the market and do your research. You don't want a big mortgage hanging over your head, but it also sounds like you don't want to rent forever.
A: Exactly. Especially with my other big news. I got a puppy! Come here, boy! Come and meet Uncle Mario!
And that brings us to the end of Words and Their Stories. Whether you own or rent, now you have some expressions for the next time you talk about real estate.
I'm Anna Matteo.
重点解析
1.upper hand 优势，上风
This works, even if you don’t have the upper hand and you really need the job.
这方法挺管用，即使你不处于优势，并且你确实需要这份工作。
2.put down 付定金
He bought an investment property for $100,000 and put down $20,000.
他买了一处价值$10万的投资性房产，并支付了$2万的定金。
3.take out 取得取得 (贷款、许可、保险等)
I'll have to stop by the bank and take out a loan.
我将不得不去一下那家银行领一笔贷款。
4.owe on 在……上欠债
But now, some are trying to save by reducing the debt they owe on credit cards.
但现在，一些人正努力减少信用卡上的负债来省钱。
5.for a song 非常便宜地；廉价地
They bought that house for a song.
他们廉价地买下那幢房子。
参考译文
大家好！又到了VOA学英语《词汇掌故》节目的时间啦！
许多美国人和去美国的人都希望拥有一个属于自己的家。
有住房是美国梦的一部分。如果你工作努力并被公平对待，你买房的希望是会实现的。
但买房其实是一件难事，光谈买房这个话题都令人觉得很困惑。房地产方面的术语——买卖房产，都有着它们自己的术语，句子和表达。
我们先来谈谈在房地产市场里占优势的那一方。好吧，这得看情况。买方占房地产市场主导地位时，意味着有很多人想要卖掉自己的房子。逛市场买房的人，也就是买方，有很多的选择性，那么房子的价钱会便宜。
但是当卖方占市场主导地位时，想买房的人比想卖房的人多，自然导致卖房的人的房子能卖上好价钱，或者他们等到一个出合适价钱的买主的时候再把房子卖出去。换句话说，卖方占了上风。
好了，假如你终于买房了。你和卖方价格上也都谈妥了。但是大多数房子的价钱让任何人都不能简单地现金全款的。所以，你付了一些钱作为定金。剩下的，你获得了房屋抵押贷款——一种帮助你付房款的银行贷款。
有抵押贷款是很正常的，许多美国人为了房子都负债了，但你应该不想在你的抵押贷款上“颠倒”，意思是你负债的钱比你房子的价值还多。
债务比房子价值还高的房子被称为“溺水屋”。当你在房地产繁荣的顶峰时期买了房，之后由于发生了一些事情导致你家的房子贬值。也许是因为一条公路经过你家的前院或者一场自然灾害破坏了你家房子，又或者暴力骚乱让平静的街区弥漫着惊恐的气息。这样，突然你的房子就会贬值了。
当人们发现自己负债与贷款关系“颠倒”之后，他们通常不得不取消抵押品赎回权。这意味着银行成了房屋所有人。买房的人得搬出去并损失了他们已经为房子偿还的贷款的钱。
在取消一个家庭的抵押品赎回权前，银行会给一个宽限期让屋主有时间凑够钱还贷款。
现在，让我们来听一段运用了这些术语的对话吧。
A：嘿，谢谢你过来。我有大新闻要告诉你！
B：你要结婚了。
A：不是，但这事和改变人生差不多了。
B：好吧，快告诉我吧。
A：我想买套房子。
B：但我喜欢你的公寓。你这价位的租金很难找到一个带这么棒的天台的了！
A：我知道，相信我，我也很喜欢这个公寓，但是我真得厌倦了付房租。是时候投资点房产了，现在正是买方市场呢。
B：对的。有很多不错的房子，房价也真是最低价了。
A：我知道，房价这几十年来也没这么低过。现在是时候寻找一笔不错的买卖。
B：我表弟伯尼15年前在这附近买了一个便宜的房子。那房子很便宜！现在他已经完全拥有它了。
A：真是幸运！我朋友瑞贝卡就没那么幸运了。她是三年前房地产繁荣的时候买的房子。
B：她有大额抵押贷款吗？
A：她不仅债台高筑，实际上她的房子已经成“溺水屋”了。
B：天啊。她房子的市值已经低于她的银行贷款了吗？房子成了“溺水屋”是最糟糕的状况了。
A：还有更糟糕的。她刚丢了工作，没法还款了。银行警告说要取消赎回权了。
B：呀！那挺严重的。也许她可以请求银行给她一个宽限期。如果银行能给她三到四个月找份工作，让她恢复正常生活，也许银行就没必要取消她房子的赎回权了。
A：实际上，她在另一座城市找到了工作，但她现在不能搬家也不能把房子卖了，因为她现在是“溺水”期，她会损失她前期投资的所有钱。
B：那听起来确实是进退两难了。
A：我朋友瑞贝卡的故事吓到我了。也许我会晚一点再买房。
B：关注并多研究房地产市场。你不想房贷让你压力山大，但听起来你也不像永远租房子住。
A：确实是。特别是因为我的另一个大新闻。我养了只小狗！过来宝贝！过来见见马里奥叔叔！
又到了节目尾声了。无论你是有房子还是租房子，当你下次再谈到房地产话题时，你会一些相关的表达了。
安娜·马特奥。
