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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
One homeowner is resorting to bartering1 for the latest iPhone as a tactic2 to sell a beleaguered3 property in Detroit.
近日,底特律一所房子的主人表示愿意用新款iPhone与这所房子作交换。
The owner has dropped the asking price on a three-bedroom home in east Detroit from $5,000 to a new iPhone 6 as the owner is desperate to sell ahead of the area’s tax auction4 season where "thousands" of homes near foreclosure will flood the market, real estate broker5 Larry Else told ABC News.
据地产经纪人拉里称,该男子本想在当地的税收拍卖季即上千所丧失抵押品赎回权的房子涌入房产市场之前卖掉这所房子,可一直未能如愿,于是决定将房子标价从最初的5000美元降低为一部新iPhone 6的价格。
"This house is really not worth much at all," Else said.
拉里说:“这所房子真的不值太多钱。”
The windows are broken and there is no front door. The broker himself has not been inside the home because his company has a policy of not going in unsecured houses alone. Detroit's declining fortunes have been precipitous, with an exodus6 has that left its population about a third of what it used to be in its heyday7, according to the U.S. Census8 Bureau.
房子的窗户坏了,前门也没有了。连这位地产经纪人自己都没有进去过这间房子里,因为其所在公司有规定不得独自出入不安全的房屋。底特律近来的颓败形势严峻,美国人口调查局的数据显示,现在在此居住的人口只有其鼎盛时期的三分之一。
"It's a little dicey," Else said of the neighborhood.
说起这所房子周围的环境,拉里说“有点危险”。
Now, the property has accrued9 more than $6,000 in back taxes and will enter foreclosure next year if that debt is not settled. So while the owner is asking for an iPhone 6 -- or, he said he would also accept a 32GB iPad -- the true cost of the sale comes from the buyer assuming the cost of the back taxes. Else said that because he is selling the property as a quick claim deed, it would be up to the buyer to arrange either a payment plan or lump sum payment with county officials to settle the back taxes.
现在这所房子光税款就拖欠了6000美元,再不解决,明年就面临丧失抵押品赎回权的危险。所以,房主愿意用一部iPhone 6或32G的iPad来交换这所房子,再加上所需缴纳的税款,该房子也就值这么多钱。拉里说由于急着卖这所房子,所以税款是一次付清还是分期付款都由买家说了算。
That isn't deterring10 the new-found interest in the property, as Else said that he received four offers today alone, ranging in seriousness.
这种方式让不少人产生了兴趣,拉里说他一天内就接到了4个人的严肃报价。
One woman said she was "interested in the house for the wood," Else said, explaining that the prospective11 buyer is apparently12 on a quest for white pine planks13. Another bidder14 said that they would be willing to hand over an iPhone 5, and another offered $850 for the property, Else said.
一位女士说她对“这所房子的木材感兴趣”,拉里解释说她是想要房子上的白松木板。另一名买家称愿意拿出一部iPhone 5交换,还有一名买家报价850美元。
Else hinted that the most likely buyer is someone who already lives on the block and put in a $700 bid, but their familiarity with the area appeared to put them at the head of the pack. Else said that the area is "full of similar houses. There’s lots of vacancy15."拉里称最有可能的买家是住在与房子所在地同一条街上的人,他出价700美元,他对房子周边地区很熟悉使他比较有优势。拉里说该房屋所在的区域内“有很多类似的房子,大多都是空置的”。
拉里说他希望能与4名买家中的一个交易成功,并在当晚确定价钱。
This is not the end of his bartering business, however, as Else said that he's already gotten another call from a homeowner who has had trouble selling their property.
拉里的“物物交换”生意并没有到此结束,因为他又接到另一个房主的电话,那名房主也在卖房子时遇到了困难。
"I did get a call from a seller today who said 'We've been having a hard time selling our house. We have it listed for $20,000. Could I get a 1994 Chevy for this house?'" Else said.
“我确实又接到了一个电话,那名房主说‘我们的房子也很难卖,标价是2万美元。我想用这所房子换辆94年的雪佛兰汽车可以吗?’”
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1
bartering
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v.作物物交换,以货换货( barter的现在分词 ) | |
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2
tactic
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n.战略,策略;adj.战术的,有策略的 | |
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3
beleaguered
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adj.受到围困[围攻]的;包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词);困扰;骚扰 | |
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4
auction
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n.拍卖;拍卖会;vt.拍卖 | |
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5
broker
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n.中间人,经纪人;v.作为中间人来安排 | |
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6
exodus
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v.大批离去,成群外出 | |
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7
heyday
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n.全盛时期,青春期 | |
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8
census
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n.(官方的)人口调查,人口普查 | |
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9
accrued
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adj.权责已发生的v.增加( accrue的过去式和过去分词 );(通过自然增长)产生;获得;(使钱款、债务)积累 | |
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10
deterring
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v.阻止,制止( deter的现在分词 ) | |
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11
prospective
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adj.预期的,未来的,前瞻性的 | |
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12
apparently
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adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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13
planks
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(厚)木板( plank的名词复数 ); 政纲条目,政策要点 | |
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14
bidder
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n.(拍卖时的)出价人,报价人,投标人 | |
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15
vacancy
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n.(旅馆的)空位,空房,(职务的)空缺 | |
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16
finalize
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v.落实,定下来 | |
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