housing in the UK and in the USA
25. 10. 2011
HOUSING IN BRITAIN
Most people in England live in urban areas. More people are buying their own homes than in the past. About two thirds of the people in England own their homes, others live in houses or flats that they rent from a private landlord, the local council, or housing association.
People buying their property almost always pay for it with a special loan called a mortgage, which they must repay, with interest, over a long period of time, usually 25 years.
Most houses in England are made of stone or brick from the local area where the houses are built.
England has many types of homes. In the large cities, people often live in apartments, which are called flats. In most towns, there are streets of houses joined together in long rows. They are called terraced houses.
Detached (a house not joined to another house)
Semi-detached (two houses joined together)
Terrace (several houses joined together)
Flats (apartments)
A big problem in England is the rising cost of houses. In 1989 first-time buyers paid an average of around £40,000, in 2001 this had more than doubled to £85,000 and in 2006 to £151,565.
2003
Average wage per year: £20,000
Average house price: over £120,000.
Average house price: over £120,000.
2007
Average wage per year: £23,244
Average house price: £184,924
Average house price: £184,924
Cost of Houses in 2005
Average Cost: £182,920
Detached: £282,157
Semi-detached: £169,074
Terraced: £139,122
Flat: £168,571
Flat: £168,571
Cost of Houses in 2007
Average Cost: £184,924
Detached: £285,697
Semi-detached: £170,650
Terraced: £143,512
Flat: £174,052
Average Cost: £184,924
Detached: £285,697
Semi-detached: £170,650
Terraced: £143,512
Flat: £174,052
QUESTIONS:
1. Where do most of people in Englang live? In towns or in the country.
2. Who owns the flats?
3. How do you say „hypotéka“ in English?
4. What materials are the houses built of?
5. Name the types of houses in the UK.
6. How has the prices developped recently?
HOUSING IN THE USA
Over 80 % of the population in the USA live in the cities. Two-thirds of population have a house. In small towns, and the countryside, they might own an apartment, a farm, or a ranch. Thanks to low interest rates, the majority of families in the USA own their own homes. Usually these are separate houses with yards. The average owner stays in a house only five years, before moving somewhere else.
Groups of owned apartments in one building are called “condominiums“ or “condos“. Condominiums often have a lot of communal facilities, such as laundry room, swimming pools and fitness. Young people, especially when they are single, normally can’t afford to buy a house or a condo right away. They usually live in rented apartments.
Houses are often made of. In the southern states, where wood is scarcer, brick and stucco houses are much more common than in the northern states.
QUESTIONS:
1. Where do most of people in the USA live? In towns or in the country.
2. Who owns the flats?
3. How long do they stay in one place?
4. What materials are the houses built of?
5. Name the types of houses in the USA.