bWe’ve thought about it, but my husband and I can’t afford it right now. The only thing we could afford would be living in the slums, which is something I don’t want to do.
想过。但是我们夫妻俩目前都还买不起。所以我们现在只能住在这个破破烂烂的地方,我真是不愿意待在这里。
aBuying a house can be expensive, but there are ways to find cheaper houses.
买个别墅的确很贵,但是想住便宜一点的房子还是有不少办法的。
bLike what?
比如说?
aWell, sometimes the city auctions off houses to the community. You’d have to make a quick decision about the offer in a day, but you would definitely save money doing it that way.
bThat’s a good idea. Do you know anyone who has done that before?
这是个好办法。你认识什么人以前是这么做的吗?
aSure, my sister-in-law and her husband just bought a house that way. They’re pretty satisfied with it.
当然,我哥哥嫂嫂刚刚用这个办法买了套房子。他们对此很满意。
bIs the house pretty run-down.
那房子的状况糟糕吗?
aNot at all. The woman, who owned it, took good care of it. But when she died, she had no family left and no will, so the government had to sell it for her.