大家一起來學英文

這些房子有什麼差別呢?

中文翻譯:Sara^_^(邊翻譯邊學習知識）

原文連結： http://people.howstuffworks.com/question489.htm

What is the difference between a house, a mobile home, a condominium, a co-op and a townhouse? 這些房子有什麼差別呢?

The world of residential real estate is huge -- if you are in the market to buy a home, it could get a bit confusing. Lets take a look at the five main forms that a non-rental home may take and try to sort out the differences: 住宅不動產的世界很大－－假如你想買一個房子，可能覺得有點困惑。讓我們看一看非租賃式房子的五種主要形式，並且挑出差異。

• house房子

• townhouse兩層或三層樓多棟聯建住宅

• condominium (condo) 各戶有獨立產權的公寓

• cooperative (co-op) 合作公寓

• mobile home住房拖屋

House房子

When most of us talk about a house, we are referring to a free-standing, single-family residence. There is also such thing as a duplex house -- a free-standing structure divided into two, connected, single-family units. 當我們多數人提到房子，大多談論一個單獨聳立的家庭住宅。也有一種【兩家庭合有的一棟房屋】：一棟建築物分成兩個連在一起的家庭單位。

The main defining characteristic of a house, besides its free-standing nature, is the breadth of ownership responsibility taken on by the buyer. The owner of a house owns the building itself, as well as the land, and is responsible for all upkeep associated with those areas, including lawn and landscape maintenance, painting, repairs and real estate taxes. 除了單獨聳立的本質，房子的主要特徵定義：買主所有權責任承擔的廣度。房屋所有人擁有建築物以及土地，並須負擔所有與那些區域有關的維修費，包括草坪，造園林維持，上油漆及不動產稅。

Sometimes, houses may be grouped together in a definite community that has shared spaces, such as a pool or playground. These home owners pay a fee to a home owners association, which maintains the shared spaces and may provide such services as lawn care, landscaping, and security. The home owners association sets rules and regulations for the community, some even pertaining to the aesthetic appearance of the houses. 有時候，房子可能聚集在一個明確的社區裏，有分享的空間，像是一個水池或遊樂場。這些屋主付錢給【屋主協會】，維持分享的空間，而且可以提供服務，像是草坪修剪，景觀美化，以及安全。屋主協會制定社區規則(條例)，有些甚至有關房子外表的美學。

Townhouse兩層或三層樓多棟聯建住宅

A townhouse is like a house in that the owner owns both the structure and the land on which it sits; but it is not free-standing, so "the land on which it sits" is limited to the front and back yards. Townhouses are connected to one another in a row, and are usually two or three stories tall. They share many of the characteristics of condominiums.

【兩層或三層樓多棟聯建住宅】，就像一個房子－－屋主擁有建築物及它所在的土地；但是它不是單獨聳立的，所以『它所在的土地』只限制在前面及後院。它們相互連在一起成為一列，而且通常兩三層樓高。分享了codos的很多特徵。

Condominium各戶有獨立產權的公寓

Like townhouses, condominiums are attached to one another. If you own a condo, you do not own the land surrounding your living space. A condo owner owns only the unit itself, which is taxed as an individual entity, and sometimes a percentage of the common areas of the community. Condo communities may provide such shared facilities as a pool, gym, tennis courts and clubhouse, all maintained by the condo association, which takes care of all day-to-day management tasks. This is one of the key advantages of condo living -- all of the joy of using the amenities, none of the hassles of maintaining them. Condominium owners pay a monthly fee to the condo association, which also sets the rules for the community. 如同townhouses，【condo/各戶有獨立產權的公寓】互相連結。假如你有一個condo,你沒有擁有你生活空間周圍的土地。屋主只擁有它這一個單位，被課稅的個體，有時候是社區共同區域的百分之一。這樣的社區可提供分享的設施，像是水池健身房，網球場，和俱樂部場所，都由【各戶有獨立產權的公寓協會】來維持－－照顧每天的所有雜務。這是此種類型房子的生活型態的關鍵優勢之一－－使用福利設施的快樂，完全沒有維持它的麻煩。屋主們每月付管理費給制定規則的協會。

Cooperative 合作公寓

The main difference between condominiums and cooperatives lies in the specifics of ownership: if you own a co-op, you do not own the unit itself. Instead, you own a share in the cooperative corporation. This share gives you sole right to your living space, but it does not give you ownership of it. For this reason, your real estate taxes may be covered by your co-op membership, because the building is taxed as a whole. Co-op members pay a monthly fee to the corporation, which, like the condo association, maintains the building and all shared spaces and handles daily management tasks. A co-op is generally stricter about screening prospective buyers and has more say in the handling of your own unit. Also, a co-op may be more difficult to finance than a condominium, because co-op corporations may only deal with certain banks.

Condos和合作公寓主要的不同點在於【所有權的細節】：假如你有一個合作公寓，你沒有擁有這一個單位。取代而言，你在這【合作公寓股份有限公司】擁有一份股份。這股份讓你對你的生活空間有專用權，但你並沒有所有權。基於這理由，你的不動產稅可能包含在你的合作公寓會員身分之下，因為這房子整個被課稅。會員每月付會費給股份有限公司，就像condo協會，維護房子與所有分享空間，處理每天的管理事務。一般來說，合作公寓對於審查未來的買主較嚴格，而且對於處理你自己的單位，較有權作主。而且，合作公寓比condo難籌措資金，因為它的股份公司只與某幾個銀行交涉。

Mobile Home住房拖屋

The clear distinguishing characteristic of a mobile home is that it is, obviously, mobile. Mobile homes are sometimes called manufactured homes. Buying a mobile home is similar to buying a car -- sales tax applies, and you receive a title of ownership. Mobile homes, unlike other forms of housing, depreciate in value, as cars do. If you are using your mobile home on the road, it is, in the eyes of the law, a car. But if you settle in a mobile home park, your mobile home turns into a house. Land ownership is handled differently in different parks: In some you must buy the lot for your home; in others you can lease instead of buy it; and in others you do not buy the land at all, but instead purchase a share in a corporation, much like buying a co-op. Property taxes are handled in various ways based on these distinctions. Like condo communities, co-op buildings and townhomes, mobile home parks have rules that must be followed by the residents. 住房拖屋的顯然特徵是汽車。有時也稱作【被製造的房子】。買住房拖屋就像買車－－申請銷售稅，然後你有得到所有權的頭銜。不像其他的房子特徵，住房拖屋像車子一樣會價值貶低。假如你在路上開你的住房拖車，它就像法律觀點上的車子。但是假如你定居在【住房拖屋公園】，它就變成房子。不同的公園處理不同的土地所有權：有些你必須買那一塊地，有些則用出租的方式。或者你不必買土地，但是你必須買一個股份，就像買合作公寓。房地產稅，基本上依差別而有不同的處理方式。它像其他類型的房子一樣，居民必須遵守住房拖屋公園規則。 圖片連結：

http://www.floridabeachsidecondos.com/Florida-Condo-Images/scale500/Condo-703-Front.jpg