2011年12月英语四级写作话题预测：住房问题

住房话题参考阅读文章
   
    "To buy or to rent", that is a question about living for most young people who just graduated from university or who have worked for one or two years in big cities. Many people see it as a torturing choice and feel weak in face of it.
   
    sub-topics:
   
    1.Which one will choose or have you chosen? Why?
   
    2.Discussion: the advantages and disadvantages of buying a house and renting a house.
   
    3.What's your expectation about the realty market in the coming 10 years?
   
    Millions of Americans have been unable to pay the mortgage on their houses and have had to leave them. Many are now renting, but are finding it difficult financially
   
    Owning your home was once part of the American dream. But that dream has faded because of the economic recession in the United States. Millions of Americans have been unable to pay the mortgage on their houses and have had to leave them. Without a home of their own, many people are now renting, but this also can be difficult financially.
   
    Until recently, Brenda Ganaway lived in a home of her own in Alexandria, Virginia, a suburb close to Washington, D.C. But then the economic crisis hit and she was unable to keep paying the mortgage on her house. "We were behind on a few payments and we couldn't get a loan anywhere, so they just immediately foreclosed it and told us we had a certain amount of days to leave," she explained.
   
    There are millions of people like Brenda Ganaway in America now. Raphael Bostic is the assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. He says the number of Americans who own their homes is steadily dropping. "The homeownership rate in the United States used to be somewhere close to 70 percent. We've fallen off by several million households now," he said. "And so the rate is down considerably. And a lot of those have now gone into the rental market."
   
    Renting does have some advantages over home ownership. If a renter wants to move, for example, he does not have to worry about finding a buyer for the house.
   
    Yazgul Odekova manages a rental property in Alexandria. She says the major reason people rent is that it is usually less expensive than owning a home. "People rent for different reasons. Number one is affordability," she said. "It is cheaper to rent and it is risk-free."
   
    Renting is cheaper for many reasons, says Arun Shu. He is an international businessman who rents a home near Washington. He says there are many costs to owning a house besides paying the monthly mortgage. "If you decide to buy a house, a lot of expenses are involved. Not only payment if you take a mortgage, but also you have to pay property tax, maintenance and upkeep of the house," he said. "You probably will want to spend some money on renovating the house, remodeling parts of the house if you buy [a] used house."
   
    But even renting can be difficult in today's market, especially in big cities. Danilo Pelletiere is an official at the National Low Income Housing Coalition. He says there just are not enough homes to rent and poor people are the most affected. "In the United States there has been a focus both at the local level and a national level on home ownership. That affected renters, low-income people and the like and a result you have shortage of three million units of affordable housing for lowest income people," he said.
   
    Even if a house is available, Mr. Pelletiere says, being able to pay for it is another problem. To afford the rent, he says, many poor people work more than one job. "Today you need multiple minimum wage jobs to be able to afford a two-bedroom apartment," he added. "We calculated about $18 an hour."
   
    Even if a person can afford the rent there are other obstacles. Yazgul Odekova, the property manager in Alexandria, says most people just do not meet the necessary qualifications, such as being able to prove they can afford the rental payments. "Right now from every 10 application we turned down nine. It is not just because people are dishonest. Sometimes people have big medical bills, sometimes people have bankruptcy, because suddenly they became sick and don't have health insurance. Sometimes peoples' income is very low, sometimes it is unstable relationship between people," Odekova said.
   
    HUD's Raphael Bostic says the U.S. government has programs to help low-income families pay the rent. "We provide direct subsidy where we try to make sure that families are not overly burdened [so we don't wanna go over that 30 percent ratio], but that they can get into some decent high-quality housing," Bostic said.
   
    But most analysts agree that until the U.S. economy improves, buying a home or renting one will be especially hard for low-income people.

    Better to Buy or Rent?
   
    Someone has done some research about this issue you have raised in China. And the result is that it is more efficient and economic to rent a house in China. But the problem is, for most Chinese people, owning a house of their own is a very important step in life. Owning a house makes people feel more secured in the society.
   
    Now, there is the trend for the drop of real estate prices. Maybe for someone wants to own their own one, it is a great time to shop. And on the other hand, banks in China are also trying to limit the loans to house buyers and developers. We might need more cash or deposits rather than borrowing more from the bank.
   
    With housing prices down significantly in many parts of the country and interest rates low, it may be an affordable time to buy that first home.
   
    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.
   
    Nicole Stivers, a 24-year-old who works in public relations in Contra Costa County, Calif., purchased her first home with her fiancé 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.
   
    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? Do I have enough for moving? It's really nerve-racking when you're first doing it,' says Ms. Stivers.
   
    Here are some questions to consider when deciding if buying or renting is the right choice for you: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.
   
    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 roughly 1½ 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.'
   
    Can you handle the monthly expense? While a monthly mortgage payment may be comparable in some cases to a monthly rent, there are other expenses to consider.
   
    To get a feel for the financial burden you'll be taking on -- and to see if you can handle it -- 'practice' making payments. Each month, set aside projected mortgage and property-tax payments, maintenance costs, utilities and any other home-related expenses into a separate savings account, says Gary Smola, a certified financial planner with financial-educational firm Financial Finesse.
   
    What's the price-to-rent ratio? Home prices have come down significantly in some areas of the country, but 'nobody knows what tomorrow's going to bring in the housing market,' says Daniel Morris, a certified public accountant in San Jose, Calif.
   
    To determine whether it makes more financial sense to buy or rent in your area, compare home sales prices with the cost of renting a similar place.
   
    Divide the price of the home by the total cost of rent for one year. If the result is more than 20, 'I'd be very concerned that the price [of the home] might fall more,' says Mr. Baker, and you should consider waiting to buy. If it's 15 or below, he says, 'you're probably reasonably safe' with prices holding steady or growing.
   
    What is your job and relationship status? Twenty some things are still getting a grasp on their futures and a constantly changing lifestyle might require the flexibility of renting.
   
    But 'if your career stability is strong, you are comfortable doing what you're doing and you are committed in some form to your lifestyle,' Mr. Morris says, buying a home becomes a more attractive option.
   
    Would you like to buy a house or rent a house ?
   
    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.
   
    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.
   
    Key words:
   
    1、 interest rates 利率
   
    2、down payment 首付
   
    3、transaction costs  交易费用
   
    4、real-estate agent's fee 中介费
   
    5、transfer fee 过户费
   
    6、closing costs 买卖手续费
   
    7、inspector and surveyor fees 验房师和估价师的费用
   
    Q&A:
   
    1、What is your job and relationship status?
   
    2、what's the good points for renting a house ?what 's the disadvantages?
   
    3、you want to do your own business or you want to buy a house if you have enough money?
   
    4、Would you like to buy a house or rent a house ?why?