美国房价增长(1)【沪江慢速VOA080405】

Sales Down for New US Homes, but Up for Existing Ones (1/2)

This week, the National Association of Realtors reported that sales of existing homes in the United States increased almost three percent in February. It was the first increase since last July.

But fueling that increase was a drop in prices. The S&P/Case-Shiller index of twenty major markets showed that home prices fell almost two and a half percent in January. Prices were down almost eleven percent from a year before.

And still another report this week showed that sales of new single-family houses fell in February. Sales were down almost two percent from January, to a thirteen-year low. The Commerce Department estimated there was a ten-month supply of newly built houses waiting to be sold.

Experts say prices in many markets will have to fall further before more people are willing or able to buy. Prices went up and up in recent years, before the housing bubble burst. Many buyers now struggling to make payments took out loans that were too big. They thought prices would keep rising and they could sell their home for a nice profit.

Rising values meant that people could also take out home equity loans and lines of credit. They used their home as a cash machine by borrowing against its value.

参考译文：

本周, 全美房地产经纪人协会报道说,美国二月份成屋销售量增长了约百分之三。这是自七月以来的首次增长。

但是此次增长的刺激因素是价格的下跌。标普和Case-Shiller二十个主要市场的住房指数表明一月份房价下跌了约为2.5%。与上年同期相比下降约11%。

本周的另一则报道表示二月份新的单亲家庭的房子的销售有所下降。与一月份相比下降了2%，创13年以来的最低销售点。商务部预计新建筑的房子的量可供十个月的销售。

专家说很多市场上的房价在更多人愿意或能够买下前会有所下降。最近几年价格陆续上涨，直到房价泡沫戳破。过去购房的人们如今正为偿还巨额贷款而痛苦挣扎。他们认为价格会持续增长，可以卖出房子来获得一笔可观的收入。

价格增长曾意味着房主可以从房屋净值贷款和信用贷款中取钱。人们一度把自己的房子当作是取款机，超过房子的价格来贷款。

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