近伦敦、亲校园，剑桥房产优势尽显

House Hunting in ... Cambridge, England

近伦敦、亲校园，剑桥房产优势尽显

A RENOVATED VICTORIAN SCHOOLHOUSE

一座已修缮过的维多利亚式校舍建筑

1.75 MILLION POUNDS ($2.75 MILLION)

175万英镑(275万美元，约合人民币1688万元)

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.

这处学校旧址，坐落在剑桥东南部的格兰切斯特(Grantchester)村中，建于20世纪60年代，20世纪80年代开始翻新和扩建。如今，在这套贯通了两座相连建筑的住宅里，共有五间卧室、四间半浴室，居住空间约2800平方英尺(约合260平方米)。而诸如陶瓦屋顶、穹顶天花板、拱形门廊等原有细节，都被保留了下来。

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

这套翻新自维多利亚式校舍的住宅，带有五间卧室、四间半浴室，目前正以275万美元的价格挂牌上市。

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.

进入这栋住宅，要穿过学校主楼右侧的中央大厅。主楼的外观就像一座小礼拜堂，带有外扶拱垛、尖屋顶和高窗。一间大约600平方英尺(约合56平方米)的客厅占据了学校一楼的大部分空间，里面配备了一个壁炉，铺着木地板。夹楼层的设计使光线可以通过双层挑高的窗户照进来。

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.

客厅再过去是一间书房和一个卧室套间。餐厅和厨房则位于后部原有的附属建筑中。厨房里配有一座用于就餐或准备食材的中央岛台、两只烤箱和一组集成化设施。餐厅和厨房里的法式对开门通往花园。

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.

主卧套间就位于厨房上方，主浴室里有一个漩涡浴缸和一个淋浴间。其余三间卧室——包括一个带浴室的套间，以及两间单独的浴室，都位于这栋建筑的二楼。这处占地四分之一英亩(约合0.1公顷)的地产拥有充分的景观设计，包括一座草坪、大片的植物和棚架，及一座石板露台。住宅入口的右边还有一座附属建筑，是一间可停放两辆车的车库。

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.

格兰切斯特是一座历史悠久的村庄，坐落在剑河(River Cam)河畔，位于剑桥东南两英里(约合3.2公里)处。逝世于一战期间的诗人鲁珀特·布鲁克(Rupert Brooke)曾在此小住。一条很受欢迎的步道沿河而设，穿越格兰切斯特草旬(Grantchester Meadows)，通往剑桥的中心。村里的主火车站有开往伦敦国王十字车站(Kings Cross station)的列车，全程不到一小时。而本文这套住宅，距村里的火车站大约10分钟车程，距斯坦斯特德机场(Stansted airport)则要大约30分钟车程。

MARKET OVERVIEW

市场概览

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.

经纪人们说，不管是从房价增幅还是房产售出所需时间来衡量，除了伦敦市中心，近年来一直雄踞英国楼市最热门地点的，就是剑桥了。地产咨询公司 Hometrack于(2014年)10月进行的一项调查表明，房价比去年同期上涨了12.2%;而自2008年经济衰退以来，已增长了52.3%，比经济衰退前的峰值高出了25.6%。经纪人表示，最好的房产几乎一上市就能脱手。根据最近的新闻报道，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.”

“我们认为，近两年来，房价的增长速度在30%到40%之间”，Tucker Gardner地产公司的高级估值师詹姆斯·米尔纳(James Milner)说，“这完全是供需关系的问题，我们就是没有足够的房源供给。”

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.

竞购战已成常态。“竞争异常激烈。”米尔纳说。经纪人们表示，当地市场的基础是良好的基本面，而非投机。拉动需求的因素，包括剑桥大学自身、蓬勃发展的生物技术和高技术产业——其中许多就是由剑桥大学及其学院带动的，还有靠近伦敦的地理位置。剑桥科技园(Cambridge Science Park)位于剑桥东北角，已入驻了几十家公司，最初开发于20世纪70年代，合作开发者是三一学院(Trinity College)，该学院从16世纪起就一直拥有这片土地。另一大中枢是南部阿登布鲁克医院(Addenbrooke’s Hospital)一带的剑桥生物医学校区，阿斯利康制药(AstraZeneca)计划在那里建一个新的全球研发中心，届时有望雇佣几千名员工。

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.”

除就业前景外，剑桥的生活质量也是吸引人的一大亮点。“显然，剑桥因剑桥大学及其学院而闻名，”凯里(Carey)说，“这座城市的内核基本上几乎保持了原貌——你可以看到历史建筑、国王学院礼拜堂(King’s College Chapel)和穿城而过的剑河。”

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.

经纪人表示，剑桥的公立学校是全国一流的。“这里的学校好得让人难以置信，”第一太平戴维斯(Savills)在剑桥的住宅地产业务负责人埃德·迈尔(Ed Meyer)说，“你要想让孩子将来去牛津、剑桥，就应该把他们送到这里来读书。”

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.

经纪人们说，买家若想在剑桥市区内购买一套全新或建成不久的两室、两卫公寓，至少需要支付60万美元(约合人民币368万元)。至于那种户户相连的维多利亚式联排住宅，三居室的起价大约是95万美元(约合人民币583万元)。房产中介公司Strutt and Parker的住宅部负责人卡梅伦·尤尔(Cameron Ewer)将这类联排住宅称为“这座城市的心跳”。而历史悠久的独栋别墅，则是非常少见的，但也很抢手，价格在200万美元(约合人民币1228万元)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.

不过，尤尔说，“一旦出了市区，房价就会稍降一点。你花60万到100万英镑(约合94万到160万美元，人民币577万元到982万元)就可以买到一套四居室。”

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.”

虽然世界大部分地区都在努力从2008年的经济衰退中重振旗鼓，但是经纪人表示，剑桥完全没有这个问题。米尔纳说，1999到2008年的繁荣期之后，“房价大概一年之内就跌了20%，市场大受打击。但在18个月以内，当地市场基本就恢复过来了。”

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.”

说到来年的市场行情预测，他表示：“我们认为市场会趋于平稳。房价不会下跌;我觉得市场本身并没有过热。”

WHO BUYS IN CAMBRIDGE

谁在剑桥买房

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.

经纪人称，买家中大约有75%是英国人。其中有很大一部分买家和大学有关，要么是员工，要么是学生家长或者校友。“有一种无形的纽带将他们拉了回来。”第一太平戴维斯的迈尔说。

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.”

经纪人表示，近年来，随着伦敦房价的飞涨，有越来越多伦敦购房者决定住到剑桥地区来，过一种两地通勤的生活。克里斯·凯里(Chris Carey)是Bidwells地产顾问公司的经纪人，负责挂牌销售格兰切斯特的这套房产。他说，同样是到伦敦市中心，“从剑桥出发几乎跟从伦敦的某些地区出发一样快。”

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%的外地买家，一般就职于大学，或者从事的是在当地日益壮大的高科技产业。经纪人表示，许多人来自亚洲，尤其是中国、台湾、印度次大陆，也有数量相对较少的欧洲和北美买家。

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.”

尽管外国买家日益将伦敦的房地产视为一种投资，但是凯里说，“他们是将剑桥视为工作地，而非投资场所的。”

BUYING BASICS

购房须知

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.

外国人购房没有限制。买家需要缴纳土地印花税(stamp duty land tax)，这是一种累进税，最低一级的税率是1%，对应售价125001英镑(约合人民币1208907元)的房产;最高一级税率是7%，对应的是售价超过200万英镑(约合人民币1934万元)的房产。

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地产公司的尤尔说，在剑桥买房，应该聘请一位律师参与交易，这一点“绝对重要”，因为许多房产在销售时会牵涉到与大学相关的契约。每笔交易的律师费从500英镑(约合人民币4836元)到2500英镑(约合人民币24178元)不等。