Accommodation http://www.ihbristol.

com/free-english-exercises/test/esol-smc-accommodation For each sentence, choose the best word or phrase to complete the gap from the choices below. He lives in that new _____ of flats near the centre. A building B block C tower D high rise How much ____ do you pay a month? A fees B rent C rental D lodging I've got a lovely two-bed flat on the second _____ of the building. A corridor B level C floor D ground Luckily the ________ is really nice and she looks after the building well. A proprietor B boss C host D landlady Have you met Lucy? She's my flat____. A colleague B

sharer C mate D friend I lived in a/an ________ flat once - it was very dark and we never saw the sun. A attic B underground C basement D cellar I am looking for an ___________ flat as I have my own stuff. A unarranged B unprepared C unequipped D unfurnished The house is in quite good condition, but there is some ____ on the ground floor walls. A wet B water C dripping D damp If you want to move out, you should give one month's ______. A warning B notice C advice D leave I live with a host family, but it's self-________ so I get my own food.

A catering B cooking C organising D feeding They've just _____ into a house in quiet residential area. A turned B gone C changed D moved Stairs became a problem for my grandparents so they decided to buy a ________. A terrace B bungalow C studio D flat Two-Bedroom Apartment For Sale 99,500 Property ads. http://www.completely-crete.com/property-for-sale.html Perfectly positioned two double bedroom ground floor apartment with pretty patio garden with own orange tree. Literally just 3 minutes stroll from a beautiful sandy beach in the heart of friendly Cretan coastal village ONLY 99,500

This property is located just moments from the Bay of Mirabello at the heart of a friendly, generous and hospitable Cretan village. It makes for a superb permanent residence, retirement, investment or holiday home and is ready to move into immediately. There are several attractive beaches, local Kafeneions, traditional Tavernas and all year round shops within easy walking distance. Location

The property is ideally and centrally located in the coastal village of Istron, Kalo Horio on the stunning Bay of Mirabello and is just 10 kms from the cosmopolitan town of Aghios Nikolaos. Istron is an all year round seaside village with gentle tourism and offers all the requirements for permanent or holiday living. Situated at the heart of local hospitable village Cretan life Istron has a sizable friendly ex-pat community the best of both worlds! The surrounding area is abundant in vegetation with many olive and citrus groves and allotments bursting with produce. Several attractive beaches are within easy walking distance of the property, the closest of which is just a three-minute stroll away. The village has a variety of local friendly Kafenions, traditional Tavernas, bakery and all year round well-stocked shops, again within easy walking distance. Served well by the efficient bus service Istron is a scenic coastal bus ride from nearby pretty Aghios Nikolaos to the north or charming Ierapetra to the south. The Property

This superb apartment would comfortably accommodate four people and makes for a superb permanent residence, retirement, investment or holiday home and is ready to move into immediately.

Fully furnished with quality furniture the light and airy lounge, with traditional style wooden shuttered patio doors leads onto the garden patio.

The fully furnished master large double bedroom has traditional style wooden shuttered patio doors leading onto the garden patio and wall to ceiling fitted wardrobes with ample storage space. The second fully furnished large double bedroom again has fitted wardrobes. The fully tiled bathroom has a full sized bath with shower, WC and hand basin. The private enclosed garden patio surrounded by olive trees, nut trees and citrus trees serves as an outdoor dining and lounging area and is established with shrubs, an orange tree and red flowering hibiscus tree. The kitchen is complete with white goods, fridge freezer, cooker, and washing machine, included in the purchase price. The property has air conditioning to both bedrooms and lounge, a telephone and Broadband is available in this area. Realistically priced this property offers the perfect opportunity to begin Living your Dream! To get in touch with the vendor of this property for further details and information please send us your contact details here at Completely Crete. Well forward your message on to the vendor and theyll be in touch with you. Match the words with their definitions. property wardrobe basin the heart of abundant vendor lounge patio one that sells or vends a living room. an outdoor space for dining or recreation having a plentiful supply (of) a tall cabinet, closet, or small room built to hold clothes. an open, shallow, usually round container used especially for holding liquids. something owned; a possession. the central or innermost physical part of a place or region

Speaking: Using the examples of house ads, think of your own advertisements using active vocabulary and tips given below. http://homebuying.about.com/od/sellingahouse/qt/092007_HomeAds.htm

Writing Effective Home Ad Copy 1) There is a difference between misleading advertising and ad copy that accentuates the positive. If you're selling a fixer upper home, don't try to make it sound like it's in turnkey condition. You can use terms to soften its rough condition but still convey the point such as: Needs TLC Bring your paintbrush and hammer Handyman special 2) Try to avoid specific facts that could later come back to haunt. Unless you have calculated the square footage, don't site numbers without providing the source such as from the assessor or an appraiser. Use general terms that deliver the same message such as: Large Spacious Abundant square footage 3) Use descriptive adjectives that convey emotion and evoke imagery. Help buyers imagine themselves living in your home. Describe distinctive qualities such as the: Architectural design of your home Entertainment options Layout and flow Special amenities and upgrades Nearby shopping, restaurants, attractions 4) Remember to include the sales price and your contact information. You'll be amazed at how many people forget to include a phone number or disclose the home pricing. 5) Choose an attention-grabbing headline. Don't use "House for Sale," because it describes nothing. Figure out the most important and enticing aspect of your home and use those words. Here are some examples: Spanish Beauty Spacious Mediterranean Entertainer's Delight Charming Cottage Sparkling Pool & Spa Oversized Garage & Workshop Secluded Hideaway Secret Gardens Your Dream Home Magnificent Estate Amazing Arts & Crafts Gorgeous Split-Level on Lake Upscale Urban Condo Fabulous Executive Townhome (Name of neighborhood) Stunning Classic Three Men and a Baby*

Buying a house. http://www.english-at-home.com/vocabulary/house-and-home-vocabulary/ Fill in gaps with appropriate terms from the box. legally binding, solicitor, offer, party, surveyor, buyers, estate agent, vendor Your dream home It's a good idea in the UK to arrange a mortgage with a bank before you start looking. This is when the bank tells you how much money they will lend you so you have a good idea of how much you can afford. The next step is to go to an___ (= a company which represents buyers and sellers of properties) to see what sort of properties they have available in your budget range and in your area. If you see something you like, the estate agent will arrange for you to view the property, so that you can see the house or flat for yourself. If you see something that takes your eye, you put in an offer. The___ (seller) can accept or decline this____, and if the vendor accepts it, you can move forward with the sale. However, as you don't pay any money at this point, the offer isn'____t, and in theory, you can pull out of the offer at any time that you like. Your next step will probably be to get a structural survey done. A qualified ____will inspect the house and write a report that illustrates any structural problems, like damp or drainage problems. If you still want to go ahead with the sale, you need to appoint a___ (a lawyer) to do the conveyancing (= the legal paperwork.) If you already own a house, you might also be busy trying to sell it. Many house owners prefer to sell to first time____ (those people who don't already own a home), as they are not in a chain (=waiting for other people to buy their house before they can buy their next house). Finally, once the contracts are signed and exchanged, you complete on your house. You get the keys and you can move in whenever you want. Then you might want to throw a housewarming___. Congratulations! Read the following text and complete the summary below using the vocabulary in the list. http://www.english-lessons-online.co.uk/House-buying.htm Buying a house: You go to an estate agency and see pictures of houses and flats together with details of rooms, room sizes, heating, facilities( shops, swimming pool, cinemas), position in the area with regard to transport (buses and trains etc), schools, employment possibilities (large employers in the area). There are detached houses (most expensive because you are further away from neighbours), Semi-detached houses (with one close neighbour because you share the same roof and central wall) Terraced houses ( 3 or more houses joined together), Bungalows (Ground floor only houses: detached, semi-detached and terraced), Flats (studio = one

room or larger flats with one, two or three bedrooms plus a lounge, kitchen and bathroom) and Apartments (more luxurious flats). Getting a Mortgage: The estate agent will advise you on financing the purchase (borrowing the remainder of the house price that you haven't got). The amount you are putting into the purchase is called your deposit. These days 10 per cent of the total price is expected, that is for example, 18,000 on a 180,000 house or flat. If you have saved more than that you may be able to get a mortgage at a better (lower) interest rate. If you have less than 10 per cent to put down (pay as a deposit), they may not be able to find a bank or building society to finance your purchase (lend you the money) or if they find one, the interest rate will be higher. This rate will be typically 6 7% per annum (per year). In recent years, interest rates have been offered to buyers for a limited time ( 2 5 years). If you take this type of loan, you have to re-mortgage the property you have bought when the time expires (is finished) with a new loan which could be at a higher interest rate than before. Solicitor: When you have chosen your house or flat and organized the mortgage or loan, you have to engage (find and hire) a solicitor to act on your behalf ( to help you with the legal papers). He will check the deeds (paper documents of ownership) of the house and advise you on any unusual conditions attached by law to the house. He/She will also check with the planning department of the local council to see if there are any plans which could affect the house you want to buy. He/she will draw up (write) the documents which will transfer ownership of the property (house, flat or land etc.) to you and liaise (keep in touch with) the seller and their solicitor to make a date for the handover (when you can move in). Property Chains: Most property chains begin with a first-time buyer (typically a young couple who rented a flat and now have saved a deposit to buy their own house) at the bottom of the chain. The owner of the house they want is also buying a house. He needs the money from the sale of his house to the first-time buyer to fund (pay for) his next house. He cannot move until his next house is ready to move into so the first -time buyer and he must make the same moving-in date so he has somewhere to go when his house is sold. Equally, the next person is waiting for his house to sell and to buy his next house with the money so he must complete the sale and purchase on the same date. This is now a chain of buyer/sellers all needing to to move on the same day. This is a difficult task because at any stage of the process, a problem with one buyer/seller could

break the chain for all the buyers/sellers in that chain. Recently, because of a shortage of firsttime buyers, due to high house prices and few 100% mortgages (no deposit required), buyer/sellers have been forced to exchange properties (houses/flats) with a suitable buyer/seller directly. Removal company: When you have the moving in date, you can hire a removal company ( large capacity lorry and experts in moving whole house contents in one day). An estate agency = shop advertising houses for sale A mortgage = a long term loan ( for 25 years) To finance the purchase = to lend money from a bank to buy the house A Building society = a finance house that only offers mortgages The Deposit = the money you will give as part payment The interest rate = the percentage you must pay for the loan Per annum = per year To re-mortgage = to organize a new loan on a house To expire (time) = to finish A solicitor = a lawyer To engage = enter a professional relationship with To act on your behalf = to help you with legal work The deeds = the documents showing who owns the house To draw up = write documents The property = the house or flat To liaise with = keep in communication with The handover = the day when you can move in Removal company = experts in moving all your furniture in one day A property chain = a number of buyers and sellers who must move in on the same day A firsttime buyer = someone who hasn't owned a house before To fund = to pay for When you want to buy a house, you go to ..... ............ ............. where you can see pictures of houses and flats. The most expensive houses or .................... houses are those which have nobody near them and stand alone surrounded by a garden. The next are called ..........-................ houses and the cheapest are called ...................... houses. When you have chosen your ................... or house or flat you need to arrange a .......................... This is a long-term loan for perhaps 25 years and you lend the money from a bank or ...................... .................. You must pay a .................. of about 10% of the value of the house before the bank will lend you the money. Next you engage a .................... to help you with the legal work. He looks at the .................. to make sure the seller is the owner of the house and ............... ......... the legal documents needed to transfer the house into your name.

Because there is often a ............... .............., it is necessary for all the sales and purchases to go through on the same day so he will ................ with the other buyers and sellers to make sure everything goes well and everyone can move in on .................. day. If you have a lot of furniture, it is probably a good thing to have a ................ ................... who can safely and quickly transport your things to your new house. Now read A chain reaction Daily Mail article Sept 26th 2008 which also refers to a website www.completingchains.com where agents can negotiate with sellers/buyers to get the process moving. http://english-the-international-language.com/edesa.php Finding an Apartment. Some parts of the dialogue are mixed. Look through and restore the correct order. A: Is it centrally heated? M: I'm interested in the apartment in Marine Drive. What can you tell me about it? A: How much is it? M: Hi, what can I do for you? A: Yes, it's centrally heated throughout, and double-glazed too. M: There's no lease, it's a condominium. A: No, but there's plenty of unrestricted parking in Marine Drive and nearby. M: Does it have a parking space? A: It's $139,995, but I believe the owner would be willing to accept an offer. M: How long is the lease? A: It's a conversion on the second floor of a beautiful, four-storey building. It has two bedrooms and a large living room overlooking the sea. The kitchen and bathroom have recently been re-fitted. Practice: You want to rent a house. Make a conversation and practice with a friend.