近倫敦、親校園，劍橋房產(chǎn)優(yōu)勢盡顯

House Hunting in ... Cambridge, England

近倫敦、親校園，劍橋房產(chǎn)優(yōu)勢盡顯

A RENOVATED VICTORIAN SCHOOLHOUSE

一座已修繕過的維多利亞式校舍建筑

1.75 MILLION POUNDS ($2.75 MILLION)

175萬英鎊(275萬美元，約合人民幣1688萬元)

Just southeast of Cambridge in the village of Grantchester, this former school dating to the 1860s was updated and expanded starting in the 1980s. The five-bedroom four-and-a-half bath home now has about 2,800 square feet of living space spread over two interconnected structures. Original details like tiled roofs, vaulted ceilings and arched doorways have been preserved.

這處學(xué)校舊址，坐落在劍橋東南部的格蘭切斯特(Grantchester)村中，建于20世紀(jì)60年代，20世紀(jì)80年代開始翻新和擴建。如今，在這套貫通了兩座相連建筑的住宅里，共有五間臥室、四間半浴室，居住空間約2800平方英尺(約合260平方米)。而諸如陶瓦屋頂、穹頂天花板、拱形門廊等原有細節(jié)，都被保留了下來。

This home, with five bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms, is on the market for $2.75 million.

這套翻新自維多利亞式校舍的住宅，帶有五間臥室、四間半浴室，目前正以275萬美元的價格掛牌上市。

Entrance is through a central hall to the right of the main school building, which resembles a chapel, with exterior buttresses, a peaked roof and soaring windows. A drawing room of about 600 square feet takes up most of the first floor of the school, and has a fireplace and a wood-plank floor. A mezzanine arrangement allows light to flow in through double-height windows.

進入這棟住宅，要穿過學(xué)校主樓右側(cè)的中央大廳。主樓的外觀就像一座小禮拜堂，帶有外扶拱垛、尖屋頂和高窗。一間大約600平方英尺(約合56平方米)的客廳占據(jù)了學(xué)校一樓的大部分空間，里面配備了一個壁爐，鋪著木地板。夾樓層的設(shè)計使光線可以通過雙層挑高的窗戶照進來。

A study and one en-suite bedroom are next to the drawing room. The dining room and kitchen are in an attached original outbuilding to the rear. The kitchen has a central island for dining or food preparation, two ovens and integrated appliances; French doors in the dining room and kitchen open to the garden.

客廳再過去是一間書房和一個臥室套間。餐廳和廚房則位于后部原有的附屬建筑中。廚房里配有一座用于就餐或準(zhǔn)備食材的中央島臺、兩只烤箱和一組集成化設(shè)施。餐廳和廚房里的法式對開門通往花園。

The master suite is above the kitchen, and has a whirlpool as well as a shower in the bathroom. Three other bedrooms, one with an en-suite bath, and two bathrooms are in the second level of the schoolhouse. The quarter-acre property is fully landscaped, with a lawn, extensive plantings and trellises, and a flagstone terrace. A two-car garage is attached to the right of the entrance.

主臥套間就位于廚房上方，主浴室里有一個漩渦浴缸和一個淋浴間。其余三間臥室——包括一個帶浴室的套間，以及兩間單獨的浴室，都位于這棟建筑的二樓。這處占地四分之一英畝(約合0.1公頃)的地產(chǎn)擁有充分的景觀設(shè)計，包括一座草坪、大片的植物和棚架，及一座石板露臺。住宅入口的右邊還有一座附屬建筑，是一間可停放兩輛車的車庫。

The historic village of Grantchester is on the River Cam, about two miles southeast of Cambridge, and was the home for a short time of the poet Rupert Brooke, who died during World War I. A popular walk follows the river through Grantchester Meadows to the center of Cambridge. The main rail station, with trains to Kings Cross station in London in less than an hour, is about 10 minutes’ drive, and Stansted airport is about a 30-minute drive.

格蘭切斯特是一座歷史悠久的村莊，坐落在劍河(River Cam)河畔，位于劍橋東南兩英里(約合3.2公里)處。逝世于一戰(zhàn)期間的詩人魯珀特·布魯克(Rupert Brooke)曾在此小住。一條很受歡迎的步道沿河而設(shè)，穿越格蘭切斯特草旬(Grantchester Meadows)，通往劍橋的中心。村里的主火車站有開往倫敦國王十字車站(Kings Cross station)的列車，全程不到一小時。而本文這套住宅，距村里的火車站大約10分鐘車程，距斯坦斯特德機場(Stansted airport)則要大約30分鐘車程。

MARKET OVERVIEW

市場概覽

With the possible exception of central London, Cambridge has had the hottest housing market in Britain in recent years, agents say, whether measured by price increase or time for properties to sell. A survey in October by Hometrack found that prices had risen 12.2 percent over the past year, 52.3 percent since the trough in the 2008 recession, and 25.6 percent over the pre-recession peak. The best properties are being snatched up almost immediately, agents said, with a recent news report citing a figure of 27 days to sell a home.

經(jīng)紀(jì)人們說，不管是從房價增幅還是房產(chǎn)售出所需時間來衡量，除了倫敦市中心，近年來一直雄踞英國樓市最熱門地點的，就是劍橋了。地產(chǎn)咨詢公司 Hometrack于(2014年)10月進行的一項調(diào)查表明，房價比去年同期上漲了12.2%;而自2008年經(jīng)濟衰退以來，已增長了52.3%，比經(jīng)濟衰退前的峰值高出了25.6%。經(jīng)紀(jì)人表示，最好的房產(chǎn)幾乎一上市就能脫手。根據(jù)最近的新聞報道，一套住宅只需27天就能售出。

“We think in the last two years we’ve seen a rise of between 30 and 40 percent” in prices, said James Milner, senior valuer at Tucker Gardner real estate. “It’s all about supply and demand, and we just do not have the supply.”

“我們認為，近兩年來，房價的增長速度在30%到40%之間”，Tucker Gardner地產(chǎn)公司的高級估值師詹姆斯·米爾納(James Milner)說，“這完全是供需關(guān)系的問題，我們就是沒有足夠的房源供給。”

Bidding wars have been the norm. “It was incredibly aggressive,” Mr. Milner said. Agents said the market is based on sound fundamentals, rather than speculation, with demand driven by Cambridge University itself; vibrant biotech and high-tech industries, many spawned by the university and its colleges; and proximity to London. Cambridge Science Park on the northeastern edge of the city is home to dozens of companies and was first developed in the 1970s in collaboration with Trinity College, which has owned the land since the 16th century. Another hub is the biomedical campus around Addenbrooke’s Hospital to the south, where AstraZeneca is planning a new global research and development center, expected to employ several thousand people.

競購戰(zhàn)已成常態(tài)。“競爭異常激烈。”米爾納說。經(jīng)紀(jì)人們表示，當(dāng)?shù)厥袌龅幕A(chǔ)是良好的基本面，而非投機。拉動需求的因素，包括劍橋大學(xué)自身、蓬勃發(fā)展的生物技術(shù)和高技術(shù)產(chǎn)業(yè)——其中許多就是由劍橋大學(xué)及其學(xué)院帶動的，還有靠近倫敦的地理位置。劍橋科技園(Cambridge Science Park)位于劍橋東北角，已入駐了幾十家公司，最初開發(fā)于20世紀(jì)70年代，合作開發(fā)者是三一學(xué)院(Trinity College)，該學(xué)院從16世紀(jì)起就一直擁有這片土地。另一大中樞是南部阿登布魯克醫(yī)院(Addenbrooke’s Hospital)一帶的劍橋生物醫(yī)學(xué)校區(qū)，阿斯利康制藥(AstraZeneca)計劃在那里建一個新的全球研發(fā)中心，屆時有望雇傭幾千名員工。

Beyond the employment picture, Cambridge’s quality of life is a prime attraction. “Clearly, Cambridge is known for its university and its colleges,” Mr. Carey said. “The core of the city is pretty much untouched — the historic buildings, King’s College Chapel, the River Cam meandering through.”

除就業(yè)前景外，劍橋的生活質(zhì)量也是吸引人的一大亮點。“顯然，劍橋因劍橋大學(xué)及其學(xué)院而聞名，”凱里(Carey)說，“這座城市的內(nèi)核基本上幾乎保持了原貌——你可以看到歷史建筑、國王學(xué)院禮拜堂(King’s College Chapel)和穿城而過的劍河。”

The state-run schools are some of the country’s best, agents said. “The schools here are incredible,” said Ed Meyer, the head of residential properties for Savills in Cambridge. “If you want your children to go to Oxbridge, they have good chances” in Cambridge.

經(jīng)紀(jì)人表示，劍橋的公立學(xué)校是全國一流的。“這里的學(xué)校好得讓人難以置信，”第一太平戴維斯(Savills)在劍橋的住宅地產(chǎn)業(yè)務(wù)負責(zé)人埃德·邁爾(Ed Meyer)說，“你要想讓孩子將來去牛津、劍橋，就應(yīng)該把他們送到這里來讀書。”

Buyers can expect to pay at least $600,000 for a new or recently built two-bedroom two-bath apartment in the city, agents said. Attached Victorian terrace houses — “the heartbeat of the city,” said Cameron Ewer, the head of residential agency at Strutt and Parker in Cambridge — with three bedrooms start at about $950,000. Historic stand-alone houses, rare but desirable, are $2 million and up.

經(jīng)紀(jì)人們說，買家若想在劍橋市區(qū)內(nèi)購買一套全新或建成不久的兩室、兩衛(wèi)公寓，至少需要支付60萬美元(約合人民幣368萬元)。至于那種戶戶相連的維多利亞式聯(lián)排住宅，三居室的起價大約是95萬美元(約合人民幣583萬元)。房產(chǎn)中介公司Strutt and Parker的住宅部負責(zé)人卡梅倫·尤爾(Cameron Ewer)將這類聯(lián)排住宅稱為“這座城市的心跳”。而歷史悠久的獨棟別墅，則是非常少見的，但也很搶手，價格在200萬美元(約合人民幣1228萬元)以上。

However, Mr. Ewer said, “As soon as you move out of the city, the prices soften a bit. You can pick up a four-bedroom house for 600,000 to 1 million pounds,” or about $940,000 to $1.6 million.

不過，尤爾說，“一旦出了市區(qū)，房價就會稍降一點。你花60萬到100萬英鎊(約合94萬到160萬美元，人民幣577萬元到982萬元)就可以買到一套四居室。”

While much of the rest of the world has struggled to recover from the 2008 recession, it was barely a blip in Cambridge, agents said. After a boom from 1999 to 2008, Mr. Milner said, “We lost about 20 percent in price in about a year. It knocked the stuffing out of the market. But within 18 months the market had pretty much recovered.”

雖然世界大部分地區(qū)都在努力從2008年的經(jīng)濟衰退中重振旗鼓，但是經(jīng)紀(jì)人表示，劍橋完全沒有這個問題。米爾納說，1999到2008年的繁榮期之后，“房價大概一年之內(nèi)就跌了20%，市場大受打擊。但在18個月以內(nèi)，當(dāng)?shù)厥袌龌揪突謴?fù)過來了。”

As for predicting the market in the coming year, he said: “We think it’s going to plateau. We won’t see falling prices; I don’t think it’s overcooked itself.”

說到來年的市場行情預(yù)測，他表示：“我們認為市場會趨于平穩(wěn)。房價不會下跌;我覺得市場本身并沒有過熱。”

WHO BUYS IN CAMBRIDGE

誰在劍橋買房

About 75 percent of buyers are British, agents said. A large percentage of that category are people connected with the university, either as employees, parents of students or alumni. “There’s an umbilical cord that sort of pulls them back,” Mr. Meyer of Savills said.

經(jīng)紀(jì)人稱，買家中大約有75%是英國人。其中有很大一部分買家和大學(xué)有關(guān)，要么是員工，要么是學(xué)生家長或者校友。“有一種無形的紐帶將他們拉了回來。”第一太平戴維斯的邁爾說。

In recent years, as prices in London have soared, an increasing number of buyers from there have made the decision to live in the Cambridge area and commute to London, agents said. To reach central London, said Chris Carey of Bidwells, which is listing the property in Grantchester, “it’s almost as quick a commute from Cambridge as it is from certain areas of London.”

經(jīng)紀(jì)人表示，近年來，隨著倫敦房價的飛漲，有越來越多倫敦購房者決定住到劍橋地區(qū)來，過一種兩地通勤的生活。克里斯·凱里(Chris Carey)是Bidwells地產(chǎn)顧問公司的經(jīng)紀(jì)人，負責(zé)掛牌銷售格蘭切斯特的這套房產(chǎn)。他說，同樣是到倫敦市中心，“從劍橋出發(fā)幾乎跟從倫敦的某些地區(qū)出發(fā)一樣快。”

The foreign buyers who make up the remaining 25 percent tend to work at the university or in the area’s growing high-tech industry. Many come from Asia, especially China, Taiwan and the Indian subcontinent, agents said, with relatively few from Europe or North America.

其余25%的外地買家，一般就職于大學(xué)，或者從事的是在當(dāng)?shù)厝找鎵汛蟮母呖萍籍a(chǎn)業(yè)。經(jīng)紀(jì)人表示，許多人來自亞洲，尤其是中國、臺灣、印度次大陸，也有數(shù)量相對較少的歐洲和北美買家。

And while foreign buyers increasingly see London real estate as an investment, Mr. Carey said, “They see Cambridge as a workplace rather than a place to park money.”

盡管外國買家日益將倫敦的房地產(chǎn)視為一種投資，但是凱里說，“他們是將劍橋視為工作地，而非投資場所的。”

BUYING BASICS

購房須知

There are no restrictions on foreign buyers. A graduated stamp duty land tax starts at 1 percent for properties sold for 125,001 pounds and is capped at 7 percent for properties over 2 million pounds.

外國人購房沒有限制。買家需要繳納土地印花稅(stamp duty land tax)，這是一種累進稅，最低一級的稅率是1%，對應(yīng)售價125001英鎊(約合人民幣1208907元)的房產(chǎn);最高一級稅率是7%，對應(yīng)的是售價超過200萬英鎊(約合人民幣1934萬元)的房產(chǎn)。

Mr. Ewer, of Strutt and Parker, said it was “absolutely crucial” that buyers retain a lawyer for transactions in Cambridge, because many properties are sold with covenants linked to the university. Fees per transaction range from 500 pounds to 2,500 pounds, he said.

Strutt and Parker地產(chǎn)公司的尤爾說，在劍橋買房，應(yīng)該聘請一位律師參與交易，這一點“絕對重要”，因為許多房產(chǎn)在銷售時會牽涉到與大學(xué)相關(guān)的契約。每筆交易的律師費從500英鎊(約合人民幣4836元)到2500英鎊(約合人民幣24178元)不等。