HOW TO SELL AND HOW TO BUY A HOUSE
HOUSING
VOCABULARY
LOCATION
bungalow
cottage
block of flats
detached house
farmhouse
hut
mansion
semi-detached house
studio flat
terraced house
villa
flat
a three-room(ed) flat
floor
on the ground floor (BrE)/ on the first floor (AmE)
storey (BrE)/ story (AmE)
amenities
air conditioning
central heating
chute
convenience(s)
lift (BrE)/ elevator (AmE)
running cold and hot water
telephone
to dwell
to be at hand
realtor / real estate agent
to inhabit
to live in the town centre / in the suburbs / on the outskirts
to lodge
to move into a new flat / house
to move house / home
to move out
to reside
to settle
FURNISHING AND DECORATING
bathroom / washroom
bedroom
bedsitter
hall
kitchen
living room
lounge
nursery
sitting room
study
toilet / loo
utility room
air conditioner
CD player TVset
DVD player
freezer
iron
plug
record player
refrigerator (fridge)
socket
tumble drier
vacuum cleaner / hoover (BrE)
suite of furniture/ 3 suite piece set
two/three seater sofa
sofa bed
chest of drawers
tall boy
divan-bed
built-in furniture
ashtray
rocking chair
tap
parquet floor
plant pot
microwave (oven)
wardrobe
light fitting
dressing table
wall light
bedside cabinet
duvet
drop leaf table
chandelier
(oval) butterfly table
desk lamp
dining suite (a table + 4 chairs)
table lamp
dresser
standard lamp
display cabinet
floor standing uplighter
lounge unit
decorative ceiling fan with
sideboard
triple lights
Hi-Fi / entertainment unit
shoe storage cabinet
LIVING OUT
advertisement (for a room)
host, hostess
hospitality
a house / a room / a flat to let
to let a hose / flat / room
landlady, landlord
owner
rent
roommate
tenant
to share a room
to rent a hose / flat / room
to live on one’s own
to live apart from smb
VOCABULARY EXERCISES
Ex.1 What are the rooms and places in the left column for? Match them with the words from the right column.
1. The kitchen - a place to keep your car.
2. The hall - a room for sleeping in.
3. The bathroom - a room used for reading,
writing etc.
4. The study -a place for children to live.
5. The bedroom - a place to have meals.
6. The dining room - a part of a building with
glass walls and roof in
which plants are protected
from cold.
7. The sitting-room - a room in which food is kept.
8. The nursery - a small room for storing
things.
9. The garage - a passage space into which
the main entrance or front
door of a building opens.
10. The closet - a place to relax, watch TV
and talk.
11. The conservatory - a place to wash yourself.
12. The patio - a room in which meals are
cooked.
13. The pantry - a paved area near a house
used for eating outside etc.
14. The cloakroom - a place where coats etc.
may be left.
Ex. 2 You are going to furnish your new flat. Choose the pieces of furniture for:
a) a dining room;
b) a sitting-room;
c) a bedroom.
suite of furniture/ 3 suite piece set
two/three seater sofa
sofa bed
chest of drawers
tall boy
divan-bed
wardrobe
light fitting
dressing table
wall light
bedside cabinet
duvet
drop leaf table
chandelier
(oval) butterfly table
desk lamp
dining suite (a table + 4 chairs)
table lamp
dresser
standard lamp
display cabinet
floor standing uplighter
lounge unit
decorative ceiling fan with
sideboard
triple lights
Hi-Fi / entertainment unit
shoe storage cabinet
Ex.3. Guess the word according to the description. The prompt is in the right column.
1. an object operated by an electric sofa bed
motor for making a current of air cabinet
to cool a room. duvet
2. a piece of kitchen furniture with dresser
shelves for dishes and cupboards, fan
below often with drawers for cutlery. chandelier
3. a bed quilt (filled with feathers or an sofa
artificial substitute) used in place of suite
blankets. shelf bookcase
4. a cupboard or a case for storing or occasional table
displaying things.
5. branched hanging support for lights.
6. sofa that can be converted into bed.
7. long upholstered seat with raised
back and ends.
8. a set of furniture
9. a cabinet of shelves for books.
10. a small table for use as required
Ex.4. Think of the possible word-combinations with the following words: sofa, cabinet, table, suite, unit, lamp, room.
Ex.5. Explain the difference between:
two seater sofa – three seater sofa;
3 drawer cabinet – 2+5 drawer cabinet;
dressing table – occasional table;
coffee table – butterfly table;
chandelier – light fitting;
wall light – floor standing uplighter.
Ex.6. Fill in letters and you'll get words denoting pieces of furniture
1) d_ _ _ _ _ r; 6) s_ _ _ _ _ _ d – l_ _p;
2) c_ _ _ d_ _ _ _ r; 7) e_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ t u_ _t;
3) w_ _ _ r_ _e; 8) b _ _ _ _ _ e c _ _ _ _ _t;
4) t_ _ l _ _ y; 9) b _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .y t_ _ _ e;
5) s_ _a; 10) o _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ l t_ _ _e.
Ex.7. Give English equivalent to:
мебельный гарнитур; диван-кровать; туалетный столик; стол-книга; журнальный столик; кухонный буфет; музыкальный центр; книжный шкаф; торшер с освещением, направленным вверх; тумба для обуви; настольная лампа; пуховое одеяло; комод; набор мебели для гостиной; люстра (канделябр).
Ex. 8. Give the opposite of: in the left-hand corner, on the right, to the left of, behind, above.
Ex. 9. Insert words given below and you'll get the description of a living-room.
Our living-room is the largest and most comfortable room in the flat. In the middle of the room we have … . To the right of it there is … . At the opposite wall there is/are … . Between the two large windows there is … . … is in the left-hand corner. We have… on the walls. There is a beautiful … on the ceiling. On the windows there are … of pink colour. We have … of the latest model in the right-hand corner. There are two comfortable … in front of it. Nothing is more pleasant in rainy weather than to sit in a comfortable armchair and watch TV.
a lounge unit, an entertainment unit, a corner cabinet, an occasional table, a floor standing uplighter, a shelf bookcase, water colours, a three seater sofa, chanderlier, venetian blinds, a TV-set, an armchair.
Ex.10. Make a written description of a room in not more than 200 words.
a) a dining room;
b) a sitting-room;
c) a bedroom.
Ex.11. Read the text, and correct the description of the study.
MY STUDY
This is a picture of my study. As you can see, it is a charming, tidy place, with everything neatly in order. On the bookshelf there are all the books I need, together with a small statue of Tutankhamun. Beside the typewriter you will see my cassette recorder which I use for preparing lessons.
What is that in the out-tray? Letters ready for posting. I should not have left the sandwiches on the chair, I might sit on them! The desk drawer is open, showing where I keep my pens and pencils. Beside the desk hangs the cat’s collar; I must have a cat because of the mice! You will see that I am very keen on growing plants, and how successful I am at it. I am also a non-smoker, I can’t bear the smell of cigarettes and pollution is a major problem for me.
You can tell I am very house-proud, the room is so clean and charming. Although I am fond of driving, I never have time for hobbies; in fact I disapprove of wasting time in that way.
Sometimes I work very late and get rather cold as there is no means of heating the room and I have no means of boiling water for tea or coffee. But, apart from that, I am lucky that the place is in such good repair.
Ex.12. Describe the way dining rooms are usually furnished.
KITCHEN
Ex.1. Form nouns from the given verbs:
blend, mix, make, toast, steam, process, slice, light, open, cook, extract, drain, wash, clean, freeze, refrigerate, chop, sharpen.
Ex.2. Combine the words in order to compose the names of electric appliances.
tea, coffee, espresso, cleaner, washer, maker
cappuccino, cordless, corded, kettle, lighter, slicer
food, mini, gas, can, knife chopper, opener, oven
microwave, pressure, juice sharpener, cooker,
dish, vacuum processor, extractor
Ex.3. What is the difference in the usage of the following appliances.
- a freezer – a fridge;
- a slicer – a chopper;
- a blender – a mixer;
- a cooker – an oven;
- a pedal bin – a swing bin;
- a corded kettle – a cordless kettle – a whistling kettle;
- a coffee maker - a cappuccino coffee maker;
- a pressure cooker – a casserole
Ex.4. What would you use the following appliances for if you had them.
Use the construction: if I had … I would … with it.
a steamer, an electric kitchen scales, a knife sharpener, a fryer, a toaster, a gas lighter, a can opener, a microwave oven, dish washer, a (vacuum) cleaner.
Ex.7. Say which electric appliances you have in your kitchen and which ones you would like to buy .Why?
Ex.8. Read the text and say:
a) what is typical about the kitchen;
b) if you have the same things in your kitchen. What are they?
c) In what way your kitchen is different from this one
d) What would you like to have what is mentioned here.
My kitchen is of medium size but the space is being used very efficiently. All pieces of furniture are arranged in a most convenient way. There is a gas-cooker and a sink-unit with a draining board and some cupboards. In the cupboards which form the lower part of the sink unit buckets, scrubbing brushes, floor cloths, soda powder and other things are kept. On the left hand side cupboards stretch the whole length of the wall. They contain saucepans, frying pans, jugs, mixing bowls, tea-pots, labour-saving devices of various kinds and food. Fixed to the wall above these cupboards there is another one, containing food and crockery. On the opposite wall there is a washing machine, a fridge and a small chest of drawers in which cutlery, table-cloths, towels and the like are kept. A built-in cupboard contains an electric iron, an ironing board, a vacuum cleaner or a hover, brooms, aprons, overalls, dusters, tins of furniture polish and other odds and ends.
BATHROOM
Ex.1. Think of the word- combinations with the following words.
an organizer, a bin, a seat, a set, a curtain, a unit, a basket, a scale, a ring, a rail, a holder.
Ex.2. Explain the meaning of the words according to the pattern.
Model: A shoe storage bin is a piece of furniture to keep shoes in.
a bathroom cabinet, a linen storage bin, a waste bin, a kitchen cabinet, a biscuit barrel, a draw spice chest, a laundry basket, a soap dish holder.
Ex.3. You've bought a house, but your spacious bathroom is still empty. What would you like to buy to make it comfortable and attractive?
5. HOMES AND HOUSES
Ex.1. Read the text, be ready to answer the question given below.
TYPES OF HOUSES IN BRITAIN
In Great Britain, families prefer to live in houses rather than flats. Over 70% of people live in houses and only about 20% live in flats. About 35% of people own the houses they live in, or buy them with money borrowed from bank or building society.
There are different types of housing in Britain.
The most desirable is a detached house. A large, detached house not only ensures privacy. It is also a status symbol. Even a small detached house, surrounded by garden, gives the required suggestion of rural life which is dear to the hearts of many British people.
Terraced houses are attached to each other in a long row. There are usually found in towns and cities and many were built in the 19th or early 20th century as houses for workmen. Today, Victorian terraced houses are very popular city homes. In earlier times, terraced houses were also called town houses. These have two floors with two bedrooms upstairs. Some have gardens back and front, others only at the back and others no garden at all. Town houses are now very expensive and fashionable.
In the 1830’s a large number of semis were built. They share a central wall. Each house is the mirror of the other inside and out. These houses can be found in the suburbs of cities and the outskirts of towns all over Britain. Notice the separate front garden for each house. At the sides, there is access to the back, where there will be also two larger gardens. The most common building material is brick. The typical semi-detached house has two floors and three bedrooms.
Most people would be happy to live in a cottage. It is often an old stone building whish were part of a farm. Some country cottages are very old and have a thatched roof. Today many people who live in the cities buy cottages so that they have a place to go for the weekend. If you have a country cottage you will have fresh air, marvelous views and a possibility to spend your free time in a garden (gardening is one of the most favourite hobbies among the British).
A bungalow is a house where all the rooms are on the ground floor. As there are no stairs, many older people dream of going to live in a bungalow when they retire.
A block of flats is the least desirable type of housing in Britain. In the 1950s and 1960s local councils cleared a lot of slums in the inner city areas and knocked down terraced houses in very poor areas. Block of flats or tower blocks can vary from 3-5 floors high up to 10-20 floors high. Each storey contains 5 or 6 flats for families. But people don’t like to live in them because there are many social problems.
The country mansion is another type of housing in Britain. But very few of the British live in them. Today many mansions are used as restaurants, hotels, old people’s homes, etc.
Many British people are lucky enough to live in their own houses, and the great majority of these have a small garden. However, housing is a problem in many cities. Many young people have to live in, or share, small one-room flats called bedsitters, and the homeless are still a problem.
What types of dwellings exist in Britain?
Ex 2: Give the names to the accommodations described here:
1. A house where all the rooms are on the ground floor, there are no stairs.
2. There houses are attached to each other in a long row. They are usually found in towns and cities and were earlier called townhouses.
3. It is a large building divided into separate parts (especially flats and offices).
4. There houses share a central wall, they are usually built in pairs. A house has a small garden in front and a fence divides a larger garden at the back.
5. This house has land all around it.
6. It is a house situated in the countryside. Lots of people prefer to live in such houses and work in towns.
Ex. 4: Write down as many words connected with the exterior side of a house as possible, the books are shut.
Ex.5. Choose the best alternative to fill the gaps in these sentences.
1. Some buildings have a basement room where things are stored called a / an … .
attic cave cellar grave loft
2. Some rooms don’t have curtains at the windows, they have … instead.
blinds carpets glass stores wallpaper
3. We haven’t got a garage, so we leave our car outside the flat in the … .
drive garden parking patio pavement
4. He keeps all his tools and do-it-yourself equipment in a … . In the back garden.
barn bungalow hut shack shed stable
5. In your own garden, you can sunbathe on the … in the summer.
field flowerbed lawn meadow pasture
Ex 6: Talk about the house you'd like to have in future.
Use the given words:
a cottage, a flat, a terraced house, bungalow, a storey, a balcony, stairs, a banister, a pergola, a fence, a garage, a lawn, a flower bed, a patio.
Ex 7: Read the words and answer the questions:
conveniences: electricity, gas, (central) heating, hot and cold running water a chute, a telephone, a lift, a security system, a video entry phone
1. Which modern conveniences have you got in your house (flat).
2. Which ones would you like to have?
Ex.8. Fill in these sentences with a suitable word. There may be several possibilities.
The Clarks live in a tiny apartment on the top f… of a b… of flats in the city centre. It has c… h… so it is very warm in the winter. It does not have a… c… because the summers are never very hot. They were lucky to find it because a… is very scare in the city and it’s easier to find a flat in a new estate on the o… of the city or in the s... .
Their dream is to m… to the country and live in an old c… in a little v… . Where they live now, their n…-d… n… are always c… about the noise when Jane plays her trumpet, and they haven’t got r… for their things: there aren’t enough s… in the l… for all the children’s books and the … in the bedroom aren’t big enough for all Tom’s clothes.
But if they didn’t find a place in the country, they’d have to buy it and pay the m… every month – more than the r… they pay to their l… at the moment. Still they wouldn’t mind this if they could live somewhere that was more
Ex.9. Before reading the text think of the types of houses you have in your country.
TYPES OF HOUSES IN BELARUS
In cities and a great number of smaller towns in Belarus people commonly live in apartment blocks. The main reason for this is that so many apartment blocks were built by the Soviet government. Apartment block are generally designed to have easy access to public transport, and generally have shared utility services such as centralized heating and hot water. The majority of those apartments are comprised of 2 or 3, or 4 rooms. Apart from the kitchen and bathroom.
Such apartments can be quite small. One enters a hallway where, as it is customary, shoes are removed and replaced with slippers. Or one can walk barefoot if he chooses to do that.
When people in Belarus talk of a two or three room apartment, they do not mean bedrooms only but rather all the rooms except for a bathroom and kitchen. Probably because many people turn their living rooms into a sleeping place for the night.
However a lot of Belarusians would prefer to live in their own house. So as the population gets wealthier we should see a growing tendency of people moving from the packed big cities to the peaceful countryside, where some people can afford comfortable, expensive houses in which they can live all-year round.
Lots of city dwellers have a country house, where they would spend their vacation and weekends during the summer months. These houses are known as “dachas”, and form an important part of Belarusian culture. Generally dachas are only used in summer due to lack of heating. Those houses are most of the time very rustic with a toilet or bania (or sauna) amenities outside. It is common for Belarusians to have fruit and vegetable gardens at their dacha.
Most country-side people live in individual houses.
Ex.10. Compare the types of houses in Great Britain and Belarus.
Ex.11. Read the following dialogues and act them out.
- I hear you are moving into a new flat, aren’t you?
- Why, surely. We’ve got a new four-room flat not far from the railway station.
- Is there any district in that area?
- Yes, come and see how we’ve settled. Will you?
- Certainly, I will, with pleasure.
- Do you like this sofa, Kate?
- Oh, it’s king-sized and looks very comfortable. Where did you manage to buy it?
- At the furniture Exhibition last Thursday. And the price isn’t high. Well, but what do you think about the colour?
- You are lucky, Mary. It matches the curtains and the carpet on the floor. Your living-room is extremely cosy now.
- There you are at last. The flat is in a mess and nobody is going to help me.
- Oh, I ‘m very sorry, Mum. What can I start with?
- Take the vacuum cleaner and clean all the carpets at first. Then wipe the dust off every surface in the rooms. Don’t forget to wet the duster.
- Well, what about the furniture? Shall I polish it?
- Of course, my dear. And I’m tidying up the kitchen. Come on.
- Your room seems bare. Why not put more furniture in it?
- But I don’t like much furniture in my room. The more furniture, the less space.
- Then put a carpet on the floor to make it cosy.
- Let me see. Oh, yes, you are right. A large woolen carpet will really be good here.
- Why such a mess in your room? What have you been doing, I wonder?
- Don't worry, Mum. I'll put everything in order in no time.
- So step on it. You have little time and you still have to heat the stove and go shopping.
- Be sure. Everything will be done as I promised.
- Well, sonny, don't you think we should help Mother today?
- Yes, Pa. But I am of little help, you know. What could I do?
- A great many things: to air the room and beat the carpets, to begin with.
- To beat the carpets with us having a new vacuum cleaner?
- Oh, it's gone out of my mind. Well, come on, fetch it then, I'll fix it for you.
- I wonder what's wrong with the fridge. It won't keep the cold at all.
- Let me have a look. Yes, it looks like being out of order, indeed.
- Then don't waste time on it. You will never manage to fix it, I'd better get a repairman in.
- Wait a little. Look, it works already. Somebody just pulled out the plug.
- Why is it so dark here? Will you switch on the light, please?
- You see, Dad, the fuse has burnt out.
- Has it really? It's too often the case with you, I must say.
- It isn't my fault this time. It was Ann who plugged in the old electric iron.
Ex.12. Think of your own short situations with the following words and word – combinations:
to make the room cosy; to be in a mess, it's my turn to …. , to put in order, to begin with, to be out of order, to burn out, to move into a new flat, to wipe the dust off, to wet the duster, to tidy up the room, to start with.
Ex.13. Translate the following dialogues into English.
- А, Фред, привет, входи. Раздевайся, вешай куртку на вешалку. Проходи, пожалуйста. Вот наша гостиная.
- Очень уютная комната! И обои такие красивые, они очень оживляют гостиную.
- Ты прав, хотя комната и так достаточно светлая. А вот эта стеклянная дверь ведет на балкон.
- Ну и балкон у вас. Он больше, чем ваша прихожая.
- Да, действительно, здесь просторно и приятный вид на парк.
- Я слышала, вы хотите купить удобное кресло.
- О, да, но, по-моему, это трудно сделать. А что, ты можешь помочь нам?
- Думаю, что да. Моя тетушка сейчас собирается покупать гостиный гарнитур – большой диван, журнальный столик и два кресла. Кстати, два очень удобных кресла. Но кресла у нее уже есть.
- Ну, спасибо. Мне действительно повезло. Когда я смогу забрать кресла?
- Думаю, что в четверг или пятницу. Я тебе позвоню.
- Спасибо.
- Вы когда-нибудь видели более аккуратную комнату, чем эта?
- Интересно, кто тут живет?
- Мой двоюродный брат. Каждое утро он всегда наводит в комнате порядок, проветривает ее, поливает цветы и только потом идет в институт.
- А я и не заметил цветы. Он, что увлекается комнатными цветами?
- Да, это его хобби.
- Привет, Анна, ты куда так спешишь? И почему ты расстроена?
- Привет, Джейн. Я спешу домой. Нам привезут стиральную машину и холодильник через 20 минут, а я не могу найти ключи от квартиры.
- А дома кто-нибудь есть?
- Да, мой брат. Но он любит слушать музыку в своей комнате, и я боюсь, что он не услышит звонка.
- А ты позвони ему. У вас же дома есть телефон.
- А ведь ты права. Я и не подумала об этом.
HOW TO SELL AND HOW TO BUY A HOUSE
Ex.1. Discuss the questions:
1. Do you want to break away from your parental family and live in a house of your own?
2. Would you prefer to rent a flat or buy it? Why?
3. Is it a big problem for you to buy a flat or a house?
Ex.2. Read the text.
Let us imagine that Mr. and Mrs. Smith want to sell their house. First, they ask one or more local estate agents to visit the house and tell them how much they should be able to sell it for. They will also want to know how much the agent will charge for his services (usually between 1% and 2% of the selling price). If the Smiths are happy with his proposals, the agent will publish details of the house in the form of giveaway leaflets and possibly in the local or even national newspapers. The leaflet will describe the house in detail: the position, the number and sizes of its rooms, the garden and so on.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith then wait for prospective buyers to arrive.
Imagine that Mr. and Mrs. Johnson want to buy a house in the same area. They go to the estate agency and inspect the details of the houses on offer. If they are attracted by the description of the Smiths’ House, they will visit the property to look at it. If they are still interested after seeing the house they may make an offer to the Smiths via the estate agent. Often the offer will be slightly less than the official “asking” price. If the Smiths agree, the house can be sold.
But the Johnsons probably do not have enough money to pay for the house immediately, so what do they do? They go to the second type of institution involved in house buying and selling - the building society.
A building society’s main function is to lend people like the Johnsons enough money to buy a house. Banks also offer a similar service.
Building societies make their money by borrowing money from some members of the public - their “depositors”- and lending it to others. Many British people have building society savings accounts. They save their money with a building society, which pays them interest. The society then lends this money to people who want to buy a house or flat and charges them an interest rate on the amount borrowed. This long-term loan is called a “mortgage”.
So Mr. and Mrs. Johnson go to a local building society where they will be asked a number of questions - what type of jobs do they have? How much do they earn? What are their monthly expenses? And so on. The society will also inspect the house to see if it is worth the money they are being asked to lend. All being well, it will offer to lend the Johnsons up about 90 per cent of the price of the house to be paid back with interest over 25 years, or sometimes less. When all is agreed and the papers signed, the money is paid to the Smiths or to their legal representative - usually a solicitor - and the Johnsons can move in.
Over the 25 years, the Johnsons, because of the interest on the loan, will pay far more than the original price of the house - but since they are paying it in fairly small sums once a month they are, at least, able to afford it.
Ex.3. Find where it is said about:
a) an estate agent's business;
b) main functions of a building society.
Ex.4. Find the equivalents of the following words and phrases in the text:
1. to describe the position of the house, number and size of its rooms, the garden and so on;
2. to examine the details;
3. at once;
4. a legal representative;
5. payment made by a borrower for a loan expressed as a percentage;
6. to get something on the understanding that it is to be returned;
7. to give on the understanding that it or its equivalent will be returned;
8. a person who deposits money in a bank;
9. a long-term loan;
10. to keep money for future use;
11. documents;
Ex.5. Explain the difference between:
- to borrow money – to lend money;
- the price of the house on mortgage – the original price;
- the asking price – selling price;
Ex.6. Explain how you understand the following statements:
1. I'd like to know how much the agent will charge for his services.
2. Mr. and Mrs. Smith then wait for prospective buyers to arrive.
3. If they are attracted by the description of the Smiths' house they will visit the property to look at it.
4. Often the offer will be slightly less than the official "asking" price.
5. Banks also offer a similar service.
6. They save their money with a building society, which pays them interest.
7. A building society charges them a higher interest rate on the amount borrowed.
8. What are monthly expenses?
9. They may make an offer via the estate agent.
Ex.7. Insert prepositions:
1. An estate agency is, essentially, a shop which arranges the sale … houses.
2. The agent will charge … his services, usually … 1% and 2% … the selling price.
3. The leaflet will describe the house … detail.
4. Mr. and Mrs. Smith then will wait … prospective buyers to arrive.
5. They will go … the estate agency and inspect the details … the houses … offer.
6. You can make an offer … the estate agent.
7. Building societies make their money … borrowing it … some members … the public - their "depositors" – and lending it … others.
8. The building society charges a higher interest rate … the amount borrowed.
9. All being well the building society will offer to lend the Johnson's … … 90 per cent … the price of the house, to be paid back … interest … 25 years, or sometimes less.
Ex.8. Answer the questions:
1. What is an estate agency?
2. If Mr. and Mrs. Smith want to sell their house, what will they do first?
3. What will they want to know from an estate agent first?
4. What will the agent start his work with?
5. How can Mr. and Mrs. Johnson know about the houses on offer?
6. Can the price be negotiated?
7. Where can people get money to buy a property?
8. How do building societies function?
9. What is a mortgage?
10. What questions will Mr. and Mrs. Johnson be asked at a local building society and why?
11. How will the mortgage be paid back?
12. Why do people want to get mortgages?
Ex.9. You are a) an estate agent;
b) the manager of a building society.
Advertise your organization.
Ex.10. You are a representative of a building society. Convince your friend who wants to buy a house but doesn't have the necessary sum of money to come to your office and settle the business.
Ex.11. Practice the following dialogue.
A REAL BARGAIN
Mr. Palmer is looking for a new house. He's tired of living in the city and he wants to live in a quiet village. He's with the estate agent now.
Estate Agent: Well, Mr. Palmer. This is the semi-detached house that I told you about… number 26, Richmond Road. The owners are away, but I've got a key.
Mr. Palmer: Hmm… when was it built?
A.: It was built in 1928.
P.: Who built it?
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