美国国家公共电台 NPR--Older homeowners, who want to sell, have difficulties finding a new place to live

Older homeowners, who want to sell, have difficulties finding a new place to live

Transcript¹

The hot housing market may tempt² older homeowners looking to cash in, but obstacles to finding a new place to live are forcing some of them to stay put.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

In a hot real estate market, the high cost of retirement³ communities and long wait lists for subsidized housing make it hard for many seniors to cash in. Vermont Public Radio's Nina Keck reports.

NINA KECK, BYLINE⁴: Joanne Van Deusen lives in a small, white, two-story home in Manchester, Vt. It was built in 1912 and has a cozy⁵ brick fireplace and a three-season porch.

JOANNE VAN DEUSEN: And I love my house. I don't really want to sell. But I am going to be 78 next month. And I think, how on earth am I going to manage all of this in a few years?

KECK: It's a concern that hit hard in February, when a health emergency forced her to undergo several surgeries.

VAN DEUSEN: And I have thought, if I did sell my house - this is a good time - prices are high - where would I go? There isn't any place to go. And if I get to the point where the cost is higher than I can pay, what do I do?

KECK: Dorothy Delaney is a 70-year-old nurse. She's facing a similar housing conundrum⁶ in Hinesburg, Vt.

DOROTHY DELANEY: Well, I get offers, you know? Come out to Seattle, and you can live in our basement, Mom, you know? And I'm like, I don't want to live in a basement in Seattle.

BEN DURANT: Yeah. I can say that that is happening all over the place.

KECK: Ben Durant owns Transitions Real Estate, a Vermont firm that specializes in helping⁷ seniors find the right housing. He says, even before COVID, finding small, energy-efficient, single-story homes in Vermont was tough because of the state's aging housing stock and strict development laws. And new homes that are being built, he says, tend to be two-story colonials because their smaller foundations and roofs are less costly⁸ to build compared to more sprawling⁹ one-level designs. When single-level homes do come on the market, Durant says they sell fast and often for well above the asking price, which makes it harder for older buyers on a fixed¹⁰ income.

DURANT: And, oh, by the way, if they want to move into senior care, they can't do that either because there's two-year-long waiting lists to get into something. So they're terrified because they have no really good place to go.

RODNEY HARRELL: This isn't a Vermont issue. This is a U.S. issue.

KECK: Rodney Harrell is a housing analyst¹¹ with AARP. He says, in a little more than a decade, there will be more Americans over age 65 than under 18. And the housing options they'll need are not available.

HARRELL: And I think, in a few years, it'll be at a point where we just can't ignore it. The challenge will be so high that it will be in every neighborhood, every community, that people will see these kind of shortcomings in their housing stock.

KECK: Beth Mace¹² agrees. She's chief economist¹³ at the National Investment Center for Seniors, Housing and Care. She says higher interest rates and rising construction costs are one problem. Worker shortages across the board are another. But she says developers are noticing the need of aging consumers. So are states. California and Vermont have adjusted zoning laws to make it easier to build accessory dwellings¹⁴, like in-law apartments over a garage. In the meantime, Mace says homeowners unable to downsize may be able to take advantage of an extra bedroom by renting it out to a younger person who can help around the house.

BETH MACE: I think you're going to see more intergenerational housing. I think you're going to see more "Golden Girls"-type housing, where a group of women - or men, for that matter - get together and house with each other and take care of each other.

KECK: Mace and Harrell say the good news is local communities and state leaders are beginning to talk about this subject. But with baby boomers nearing 80, they say action is needed fast.

For NPR News, I'm Nina Keck in Chittenden, Vt.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLOUDCHORD AND HEADPHONE ACTIVIST'S "ATTICS AND BASEMENTS")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 tempt   

vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣

参考例句：

• Nothing could tempt him to such a course of action.什么都不能诱使他去那样做。
• The fact that she had become wealthy did not tempt her to alter her frugal way of life.她有钱了，可这丝毫没能让她改变节俭的生活习惯。

3 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

6 conundrum   

n.谜语；难题

参考例句：

• Let me give you some history about a conundrum.让我给你们一些关于谜题的历史。
• Scientists had focused on two explanations to solve this conundrum.科学家已锁定两种解释来解开这个难题。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

9 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

10 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

11 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

12 mace   

n.狼牙棒，豆蔻干皮

参考例句：

• The sword and mace were favourite weapons for hand-to-hand fighting.剑和狼牙棒是肉搏战的最佳武器。
• She put some mace into the meat.她往肉里加了一些肉豆蔻干皮。

13 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

14 dwellings   

n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The development will consist of 66 dwellings and a number of offices. 新建楼区将由66栋住房和一些办公用房组成。
• The hovels which passed for dwellings are being pulled down. 过去用作住室的陋屋正在被拆除。 来自《简明英汉词典》