ESL Podcast 851 - Finding a House to Buy

single-family - a home designed for one family to live in a single building; not multiple units that are connected

Urban planners struggle to connect single-family homes to city centers without having too much traffic.

townhouse - a narrow, tall home, usually with two or three floors, built right next to other townhouses on each side so that they share walls and there is no open space between them

Dynee loves the way the townhouses look in San Francisco, but she wouldn't want to live in one.

common wall - a wall that is shared between two rooms, homes, or buildings

I wonder if our neighbors can hear our conversations through this common wall.

yard - an outdoor area next to a home, owned by and belonging to the home owner

They're buying swings and a slide to put in their yard so the kids can play.

square footage - the number of square feet (ft2 ) in an area; a measurement of the size of a home or building

How can they get so many bedrooms in so little square footage? This website says the home is only 1,600 square feet, but it has four bedrooms and three bathrooms!

lot size - the size of the piece of land on which a home is built; the size of the land that is sold with a home

If you don't like gardening and yard work, you should probably buy a home with a smaller lot size.

open floor plan - an architectural design of a home or office that has a lot of open space and few walls

The home has a nice, open floor plan, so you can see into the living room and dining room from the kitchen.

curb appeal - the attractiveness of a home from the street; a home that looks nice when viewed from outside

Realtors recommend painting, watering the grass, and planting flowers to improve curb appeal before trying to sell a home.

upgrade - an improvement; the replacement of one thing by something that is nicer, more luxurious, and/or more expensive

They're planning to invest in a lot of upgrades in the kitchen, like stainless steel appliances and granite countertops.

fixer-upper - a home that has many structural and/or cosmetic (visual or aesthetic) problems and will require that the new owners invest a lot of time and money for improvements

The home is really inexpensive, but that's because it's a fixer-upper. Once we have paid for all the repairs, it won't seem inexpensive at all!

move-in condition - ready to live in; ready for the new owners to move into a home without needing to do any work on it first

The home is almost in move-in condition. We just need to fix the heating system and install new carpet.

mortgage - a loan used to buy a home; a home loan

Currently, mortgage rates are lower than they have been in years, so many people can afford to buy a home.

to hold out for - to wait to do something until one gets or receives something better

Suzanne has received three job offers, but she's holding out for one that offers a higher salary and more vacation time.

mansion - a very large, luxurious, and expensive home

Most of the mansions in that neighborhood cost between $2 million and $5 million.

a step up from - an improvement over; something that is better than what one previously had or did

The Porsche is a huge step up from the Honda Civic Tim used to own.

expectation - what one anticipates; what one believes will happen or be true; the belief one has about a situation or event before one experiences it

Hannah grew up with her parents' expectations that she would become a lawyer.