·鲁 鸣·
买房子，是为需要拥有住宅或投资。然而，买房这本身会是一种冲动，是梦想，会上瘾，成为一场病。我目前正患了这毛病。
起因是一个偶然的网络搜索，发现费城房子便宜，来纽约也方便。我和妻子想，今年美国房屋市场下滑是投资房地产的时机，买了先租出去，儿子将来上大学毕业，把纽约的房子卖掉，到费城住，会有一笔余钱，我可提前退休。于是，我和妻子去了费城四次，看了十来套房，最后看中一栋在公园旁的房子，现代风格，很宽畅，地下室门窗都在地面上。附近还有一座医院。我和妻子便想象，将来两人可在公园里牵手散步，骑单车，打拳击剑。老了难免器官退化，到医院看病也方便。房主说，任何价位都会考虑。我估计他是失业，付不起贷款，急于出手。我们出了买价。可是，出了差错：我们的经纪人叫我们把定金的支票写给她，这显然是错误的。只好重新写一张支票。当时我不在家，妻子让儿子写英文地址，他把对方邮编号码写错了，快件变成慢件，这第二张支票到达经纪人手里时，已是一个星期后的事。等我们听到答复时，房子已被银行收回，房主已搬走。原来，房主不但借了房屋贷款，而且还用房屋做抵押借了一笔钱，这两项大大超过了房屋本身的价值。我们提高价位，银行不但不接受，还把原价又提高了。
带我们看房的经纪人是个有趣的女人，戴副眼镜，还抽烟，曾是人事资源的培训师。我问她有什么有趣的故事。她说，干这一行头次带人去看房，发现房主心肌梗塞死在床上！还有一次，一推门，房主全裸著！这经纪人不会花言巧语，常常会指出我们没注意到的房子问题，告诉我们值不值得买。我和妻子都喜欢她。然而，我们已无心再跑到费城看房，去了这么多次，仿佛已在那里住过了。
随后，我去中国，路过上海停留几天。回美前一天，看到岳母住宅对面有一套房子在卖，我就进去看了。阳台面对绿树林，三年的房子尤如新房，因为房主是一对年轻夫妇，经常到其父母家住。我很喜欢那套房。电话里告诉妻子，她说好呀，比我还激动。我身上正好有一笔现金，当晚就交了定金，让岳母第二天签合同，因为翌日一大早我就要上飞机。谁知房主对年事已高的岳母不放心，担心我人在海外而钱不能到位，和另一个买主签了合同。
有了这两桩未成之买卖，我发现自己对房子上了赢，就像吸毒，欲罢不能。上网时，总是身不由己地搜索一下房情。当看到别具一格的房子，那怕买不起也开心。我喜爱建筑，比如我喜爱酒庄并不是因为酒，原因之一是酒庄主人的房子通常都很美，都是艺术情调很浓的建筑物。起初，只是想碰到合适的房子才买。可是，去看房时会浮想联翩：如何装饰或改修这房子，这房子有过什么样林林总总的故事，如何在这新环境里过日子。妻子跟著我一次又一次地梦想。
前不久，在纽约北郊看上了两栋房子。一栋有2700多平方英尺，地下室的门窗也在地面上，周围完全是农庄景色，做周末之家不错。出了房价，房主不肯接受。妻子嫌那地方太偏僻太冷清，我们就没再出高价。另一栋是townhouse，女主人是灯光设计师，整个房子装修得非常典雅，主卧室、厨房和饭厅都很大，还有一个加州式大衣柜和室外木阳台。我疯狂地喜爱它。可惜，另一个卧室太小了，只能做书房，儿子以后上大学回家连自己的房间都没有，只好放弃。
这时，宾州农村有一栋别墅在卖。我们看了照片后，非常喜欢。连夜做起梦来。可是第二天早上起来，妻子变了卦。我只好一人开了3小时车去看房，权当去园一个破碎的梦。生活中有些追求，人可能得不到，但是谁知道从中会获得什么意想不到的东西呢。带我看房的是个老太太，丈夫已退休。她在城里长大，成家有一对双胞胎女儿后，决定让孩子生长在轻松无压力的环境，便搬到农村。开始时，丈夫连工作都没有，她自己便操起房地产经纪人的旧业。一对女儿如今大学毕业都做护士，都在这农村买房安了家。老太太开车带著我把几个农庄都看了遍，听她讲故事本身是一种享受。那栋别墅是石头盖的，地下室是石砖砌成的红色酒吧。别墅座落在农庄的边角，对面住著一位富翁，其豪宅巨大。我知道，这别墅虽便宜，但太远，买下后我一个季度恐怕也只能来一次。不过，我并不觉得白跑一趟。老太太驾车带我走在那弯弯曲曲丘岭起伏的小路上的感觉，将来写作也用得上。拍了一些照，此梦结束。
上星期天，我和妻子去长岛海边，到附近住宅区转了转，喜欢上了那里，既有些郊外风光离纽约近，人气又旺。我便和当地房地产经纪人约好，下周末去那里看房。因为儿子不愿转学，我们即使买了房，也只能租给别人，要等他上大学时我们才搬过去。因而现在去看房买房，与其说想借美国房地产市场下滑得到一栋好价钱的房子，还不如说是对房子上了瘾，成了难以克制的冲动和梦想。准确地说，它就是一场疾病。正如恋爱是冲动而成家是疾病，人必须为此付出代价，好好珍惜经营，保持健康。其实，上述任何一次出价成功签上合同，房也就买了。也许，冲动过后对买到的房还不一定十分满意。然而，这是治好这种病的途径。
□ 寄自美国
- Re: 鍗庡蹇�� : 椴侀福锛氫拱鎴库�曗�曞啿鍔紝涓婄樉锛屾ⅵ鎯冲拰鐥�posted on 09/11/2007
Ha ha, I love dreaming about real estate too. If I have a tiny condo in NYC, a tiny appartment in SF, a cottage somewhere in Europe, a Si-he-yuan by Beihai Park in Beijing, then I will be living a heavenly life. - Re: 鍗庡蹇�� : 椴侀福锛氫拱鎴库�曗�曞啿鍔紝涓婄樉锛屾ⅵ鎯冲拰鐥�posted on 09/11/2007
Susan wrote:
Ha ha, I love dreaming about real estate too. If I have a tiny condo in NYC, a tiny appartment in SF, a cottage somewhere in Europe, a Si-he-yuan by Beihai Park in Beijing, then I will be living a heavenly life.
Agree, if i have all of these properties, the first thing i will do is to quit the job and then think on what to do next. - posted on 09/11/2007
Haaa, I just found an email I wrote to my friends few years back, sorry, I am too busy to translate it into Chinese:
------------------------------------
For me, this week should be a relax week since we just pretty much finished certain things and wait for next step...I have a very nice plan: I'll have more time to study since I am doing my this year's professional certification while I can listen my music CDs...I had very heavy work load in the past few weeks so I was very looking forward this week...
Monday, I brought about 10 CDs to office, most of them are Bach and Chopin, I also brought all my books...Bach always makes me very calm and happy, if I have choice, I like to be Bach's woman with rosy cheeks, lift up my skirt when I am walking, all I need to think is how to bake pies or milk cows...Chopin was moody, he had fever and cough when weather was getting cold, leaf was falling, he was always homesick while he also had wanderlust. But, he played beautifully and exquisitely when the moment like that....
However, I am totally wrong...Yes, I don't have much to do in this week, so another people....My desk like a marketplace, people always stop by...we just hire a new consultant who is a Chinese, now, he is passionately doing real estate investment... he almost spent every afternoon in my desk to talk about all the houses he bought, his 10 years plan and prospective. He also told me it is not an easy task to manager all these houses, every time, when a house out of rent, he always have to put that house and the house he is living to the market, which one get rent first, which one goes so he always have to move. This morning, he was late because he hurts his arm last night when he tried to move out his current house to his new tenant and move himself to another empty house....I feel so sorry for him so I told him:" Your rich people life sucks!" He totally agreed and he said:" Exactly, my wife just said this morning that we have so many houses but we don't have a home!"
As soon as this Chinese Mr. Trump left my desk, another Indian guy took seat. He told me he is going to back India to check his properties there next month...in past few years, he bought two houses and two pieces of land there...he said:" I will be very rich! When I am rich, I'll buy you a marble house and you will cook for me!" I almost couldn't believe my ears so I asked him:" Did you just say I will cook for you when you get rich?" "Yes! I like Chinese fried rice and Kun Pao Chicken, make it very spicy!" I looked at my future Master, his face shined by his confidence and joy....I started to picture myself in his marble house fix meal for him....First time, I found to be a Bach' s woman maybe not that simple and happy if you have to cook for a person you don't like....
So far, I even couldn't finish one CD since I am always interrupted by people and only read about 20 pages book ….
- Re: 鍗庡蹇�� : 椴侀福锛氫拱鎴库�曗�曞啿鍔紝涓婄樉锛屾ⅵ鎯冲拰鐥�posted on 09/11/2007
Ok July, got your point. Too many properties make the owner tired. I'd better keep my job even when I have a chateau, an island, a lake and few houses here and there......... - Re: 鍗庡蹇�� : 椴侀福锛氫拱鎴库�曗�曞啿鍔紝涓婄樉锛屾ⅵ鎯冲拰鐥�posted on 09/11/2007
I would worry about that when I need to worry. :-) Lu Ming in person is very quiet, not like his books. I see him almost everyweek at our local Chinese school where he taughts.
鹿希 wrote:
Ok July, got your point. Too many properties make the owner tired. I'd better keep my job even when I have a chateau, an island, a lake and few houses here and there.........
- posted on 09/11/2007
September Summary on China Real estate
by Gareth Powell September 3rd, 2007
(www.China.org.cn)
Beijing: land in short supply. Liu Weixin, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences disputes the opinion that the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will be a turning point in prices. He said that after 2008, Beijing will still be the capital and the influx of population will not change.
Shenzhen: convenient travel to HK. Professor Ye Jianping, dean of the Land Management Department of Renmin University of China, said, ‘Many Hong Kong residents buy houses in Shenzhen for the convenient transportation and comparatively low price.’
Tianjin: close ties with Beijing Expressways and bullet trains between Beijing and Tianjin have now makes it possible almost to commute. Tianjin also has its own dynamic economy.
Guangzhou: dynamic capital city. The once stable real estate market in Guangzhou, capital city of South China's Guangdong Province, has witnessed price rises since June.
Beihai: beauty at a cost. The price increase of new commercial housing in Beihai, a coastal city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has topped the national list for three consecutive months, according to figures released by the National Development and Reform Commission.
Shanghai: World Expo. The real estate market in Shanghai got a new momentum after the city's successful bid to hold the 2010 World Expo.According to research conducted by Fortune magazine, 92% of more than 40,000 multinational corporations consider establishing regional headquarters in China and 45% among them choose Shanghai as the first choice.
Hangzhou: house or investment tool? A city famous for its West Lake in east China's Zhejiang Province According to Wang Zhigang, an industrial insider, the real estate market in Hangzhou is stirred up by the outside wealthy. They buy houses here both for living and investment.
Nanjing: rigid demand increase. Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province, set records in housing prices when a new project's price jumped by 1,200 yuan (US$158) per square meter in two hours.
Chongqing: municipality effect. From June 17 to 25 this year, just nine days, the average price soared from RMB2,800 ($369) to RMB3,055 ($403), a 7.6% increase.
Chengdu: investing in a central area.As a new special zone, Chengdu has huge potential. With the operation of two metro lines, more price soars are expected in Chengdu's downtown areas.
Please paste HTML code and press Enter.
(c) 2010 Maya Chilam Foundation