美国国家公共电台 NPR--The normal springtime surge in homebuying is more of a slump this year

The normal springtime surge in homebuying is more of a slump¹ this year

Transcript²

The real estate market is stuck in a state of paralysis³ this season. Homeowners don't want to sell and give up their cheap mortgages, and buyers feel sidelined by high interest rates.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

This season of the year, spring, is typically the busiest time for the real estate market, but not this year. Here's NPR's Arezou Rezvani.

AREZOU REZVANI, BYLINE⁴: If you stop by an open house these days, it may seem like the real estate market is back in full swing.

It's a Tuesday morning. I am here at an open house here in Los Angeles. Doors don't open for another 10 minutes. And already, there's a crowd of maybe 25 people here waiting to get in.

But there's much more going on here than meets the eye.

DAN: Come on in. The party's started. I'm Dan (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Hi.

REZVANI: Among the crowd touring this bright and airy fixer-upper perched in the hills are Maria and Jordan Rich (ph) with their newborn, Nico (ph), in tow. They're both at home these days on parental⁵ leave. And they're growing pretty desperate for more space.

MARIA RICH: We're now in a two-bedroom with two children - 3 and 5 weeks old - and a dog. And when he starts work again, he'll be working from home. So it'll be tight - tight, tight, tight.

REZVANI: For the last several months, they've been visiting open houses, getting a feel for what they think they can afford. And so far it's been...

M RICH: Depressing.

JORDAN RICH: (Laughter) Stressful.

REZVANI: With mortgage rates climbing rapidly from 5% to 6%, even 7%, all within a year, the Riches feel stuck on the sidelines of the real estate market.

M RICH: When you think you're getting closer, then the interest rates go up. And then you're thrown for a loop. And then you feel like you're miles away again, right?

J RICH: Yeah. Everything's just changing so fast that it's, like, hard to even, like, do research ahead of time because by the time you gather that research, things have changed again.

REZVANI: But interest rates are just half the battle for first-time homebuyers.

LAWRENCE YUN: Right now we are in a very tight inventory⁶ situation.

REZVANI: That's Lawrence Yun, chief economist⁷ with the National Association of Realtors. He says that while buyers have pulled back over interest rate hikes, sellers across the country have also retreated for the same reason.

YUN: Many homeowners who have refinanced into those low rates, or people who have purchased in the past few years at 3% mortgage rate, they are loving their 3% and unwilling⁸ to give that up.

REZVANI: And that means far fewer houses are on the market this spring for families like the Riches to consider at all. The few that do get listed, they go on to command top dollar, giving the impression that the market is hot, when in reality, it's been much slower than in years past.

YUN: The housing market is currently in paralysis. We are not getting that huge spring buying, normal activity.

REZVANI: Home sales are down roughly 20% compared to recent years. But within that slump, the competition remains⁹ fierce.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL CHIMING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: All right. Nice to meet you.

REZVANI: That open house Jordan and Maria Rich visited, it attracted more than 300 visitors on its first day of showing and has multiple offers. They're starting to wonder if maybe it's time to start looking farther afield.

M RICH: I don't know. I mean, we talk about that every day, if it's worth staying in Los Angeles where we're very happy, or if we should move somewhere cheaper where we could have a big house and good schools and...

REZVANI: And a much more affordable¹⁰ mortgage.

Arezou Rezvani, NPR News, Los Angeles.

1 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

2 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。

3 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

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 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

6 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

7 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。

8 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。