STEP 1 Talk about how you rented a home.
While house-hunting, we got help from a real-estate agent. We saw several houses and chose the one we liked best. We paid a brokerage fee to the real-estate agent. We moved in to our house with a two-year contract. We paid a small down-payment, and we pay a monthly rent. The rent is withdrawn from our bank account at the end of each month. At the end of the contract, we have to sign a new contract.
[Key Vocabulary & Expressions]
- house-hunt 집을 구하다
- real-estate agent 부동산 중개인
- like best 가장 좋아하다
- brokerage fee 중개 수수료
- move in 입주하다
- two-year contract 2년 계약
- down-payment 보증금, 계약금
- monthly rent 월세
- withdraw something from ~을 ...에서 인출하다
- sign a new contract 신규로 계약하다
STEP2 Talk about ways to rent a home in Korea.
There are two ways to rent a home in Korea. One is a monthly rent, which is the norm in other countries. During the period of residence, a monthly fee is paid to the landlord. There is another, unusual way to sign a lease. It's called jeonse, or a lump-sum deposit lease. At the start of the lease, a hefty sum is given to the landlord. There is no need for a monthly payment. The deposit is returned when the lease is over. The deposited amount has increased recently, so it's a heavier burden for tenants than it used to be.
[Key Vocabulary & Expressions]
- the norm 표준, 일반적인 것
- period of residence 거주 기간
- sign a lease 임대 계약을 하다
- lump-sum deposit lease 전세
- hefty sum 큰 금액
- there is no need for ~할 필요가 없다
- deposited amount 보증금 액수
- heavy burden 큰 짐/부담
[Expression of the Day]
What a stroke of luck!
그것 참 행운이네!
A: Have you found a place to live? Didn't you say you're going to move next month?
B: I did! My friend is also moving, so I'm renting his apartment for two years.
A: What a stroke of luck! It's so hard to find a good apartment in this neighborhood.
B: It really was lucky. He's even letting me pay a lower rent than I'd expected.
