美国梦翻新：楼市大崩盘，中国人抄底

    拥有一套自己的房子是每个人的梦想。不过自从美国房地产市场崩盘以来，房屋销量直线下降，丧失抵押品赎回权的人也达到了创纪录的人数。很多人不禁质疑，这样的梦想到底还值不值得追求。《时代》杂志（Time）去年刊登了一篇文章，戳穿了买房有理的迷思。而美国的决策层也开始怀疑，对于许多人来说，租房是不是要比买房更划算。

    美国人已经开始纠结租房还是买房的问题，但是四处收购便宜房产的外国买家却迫不及待地想要抓住一丝美国梦。他们现在正在美国房市最不景气的佛罗里达和加利福尼亚等州大肆收购房产。专家表示，外国买家的进入，可能起到帮美国稳定房市之效。

    美国房地产市场崩溃后的这几年里，外国买家的置业行为一直是这个惨淡的市场里少有的亮点之一。据美国房地产经纪人协会（National Association of Realtors）的数据，去年（从去年3月算起，到今年3月结束）外国人共在美国购买了价值820亿美元的房产，比前年的660亿美元有了大幅提升。美国的近邻加拿大是这支外国买家队伍的主力，贡献了23%的销售额，紧随其后的是中国，其次是墨西哥、英国和印度。阿根廷和巴西加在一起，贡献了销量的5%，比去年增长2%。

    当然，仅靠赚外国人的钱，并不见得就能使美国房市起死回生，毕竟外国人买走的房产只占了房市总销量很小的比重。不过对于佛罗里达州和加尼福利亚州来说，事实已经证明，外国富豪和投资人的购房行为已经对当地产生了重要影响。外国人买走的美国房产40%坐落在这两个州。房地产网站Trulia在研究了国际买家对美国房产的偏好后表示，尤其佛罗里达的珊瑚角、罗德贷堡、迈阿密、那不勒斯、迈尔斯堡、基西米（迪士尼的老家）、奥兰多和杰克逊维尔等地，更是国际买家最钟情的去处。佛罗里达州卖出的住宅有20%被海外买家收入囊中，其中大半是加拿大人。

    佛罗里达的房价在2006年达到历史最高值。后来由于失去抵押品赎回权的人很多，该州房价剧烈缩水，方便了国外买家趁虚而入。此外美元疲软，尤其是相对加元走低，也刺激了越来越多的加拿大人到美国的风景名胜和城市近郊买房。可以说在美国买了房子，这些“老外”的美国梦就有了一个落脚之处，不过在不同人眼中，美国梦的意义也不尽相同。大多数国外买家都是用现金购房，他们并不把美国的房产当作生儿育女、颐养天年之所，而是把它当成一个度假的去处，平时就租出去。

    这些国际买家重新定义了美国梦。如果说他们使弗罗里达房地产市场避免了进一步崩盘的灾难，兴许有点夸张，但他们至少稳定了该州房市。现在在迈阿密，虽然买房还是比租房更划算，不过国外买家的大量涌入，也使许多人对租房产生了更大的兴趣。房地产网站Trulia的最新房价与房租比率由七月份的6跃升至七月份的12（该比率低于15，则意味着此地买房比租房更划算）。一般来说，在一个健康的房地产市场里，买房和租房的经济成本应该是近乎相等的。所以该数值的变化有着重大的意义。

    加利福尼亚州也从外国购房者那里获得了很多好处。加州的房价在2007年达到历史峰值，最后一路下跌，到2009年触底时，房价已经下跌了59%。不过和佛罗里达不同的是，加州的救星是近来一直在全球大肆购房圈地的中国人。为了给过热的经济降温，中国政府提高了利率，收紧了借贷标准，导致中国国内的购房成本上升，很多炒房者被迫到国外淘金。加州最吸引外国人的城市是洛杉矶、旧金山、比佛利山庄和圣地亚哥。

    其中圣马利诺市是获益最多的城市。多亏大量外国买家（大多数是中国人）涌入该市的富人区购买住宅，因此在美国的房市崩盘时期，该市经济受到的冲击并不大。去年圣马利诺市的平均房屋价格是有史以来最高的，超过了150万美元，比前年上涨了1.6%。对于中国大陆人来说，住在这个地区，就是身份和财富的象征。无怪乎这个90年代以白人为主的社区，现在50%以上都是亚洲面孔（其中尤以中国人居多）。

    外国投资者并不能拯救美国的房地产市场。但据资本经济公司（Capital Economics）最近发布的一份报告显示，如果中国和印度等大型经济体持续发展，外国买家买走的房产占美国房地产销量的比重也会越来越大。

    美国梦未死——它只是变了个样子。

    译者：朴成奎

    Since the U.S. housing market went bust, plummeting home sales and record foreclosures have prompted many to question the decades-old belief that owning a home is an aspiration that all should aspire to. Last year, Time magazine published an article debunking the merits of homeownership, while federal policymakers began wondering if many might have been financially better off renting versus buying.

    But while those in the U.S. question homeownership, foreigners in search of properties on the cheap have been all too eager to grab a slice of the American Dream. And to re-define it in a way that experts say could help stabilize housing markets in a few states with some of the nation's most troubled housing markets – namely, Florida and California.

    In the years following the real estate implosion, foreign purchases have been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise gloomy market. In the 12 months ending in March, international sales in the U.S. totaled $82 billion, up from $66 billion in 2010, according to the National Association of Realtors. Canada led the way, making up 23% of sales to foreigners, followed by China, Mexico, the U.K. and India. Argentina and Brazil combined reported a 5% increase in foreign sales, up 2% from last year.

    Admittedly, the trend isn't likely to turn the U.S. housing market around, since sales to international buyers still make up a small percentage of total sales. But for Florida and California, home purchases by wealthy foreigners and investors have proven significant. More than 40% of all international sales happen in the two states. In Florida, Cape Coral, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Naples, Fort Myers, Kissimmee (home of Disney World), Orlando and Jacksonville are some of the most popular U.S. cities among international house hunters, according to residential real estate website Trulia, which tracked international views of U.S. properties online. Roughly 20% of all residential sales across the state come from buyers abroad – the majority of which from Canada.

    It helps that home prices in Florida, with its high share of foreclosed homes, have fallen dramatically from their 2006 peak. What's more, a weaker U.S. dollar, especially against the Canadian dollar, has made snapping up properties in resort and suburban areas even more irresistible. But what it means to own a slice of the American Dream differs vastly for international homebuyers, who see their investments (paid for mostly in cash) as less of a place to raise a family and retire and more of a vacation home available for rent.

    However they've defined or re-defined the American Dream, international buyers are at least helping stabilize Florida's housing market, if not saving it from further collapse. In fact, while it's still more affordable in Miami to buy, the influx of foreign buyers has made it more appealing to rent. Trulia's latest price-to-rent ratio jumped 112% from 6 in January to 12 in July (ratios below 15 are places where it's cheaper to buy than rent). This is significant, since typically a healthy housing market puts renting and owning on more equal footing.

    California has also gained from foreign buyers. Home prices dropped by 59% between peaking in 2007 and bottoming in 2009. Unlike in Florida, the housing market across parts of the golden state has found a savior of sorts in the Chinese investors who have been gobbling up properties globally. This comes at a time when the costs of buying in China has risen as the country's government raises interest rates and tightens lending standards to help cool off the racing economy. Among the most popular California cities to foreigners: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Beverly Hills and San Diego.

    One community that has gained most is San Marino, which has largely been sheltered from the housing bust amid an influx of mostly Chinese house hunters snapping up properties in the relatively wealthy residential community. Last year, San Marino recorded its highest annual median home price ever – topping $1.5 million, up 1.6% from the previous year. To Mainland Chinese, the area is often associated with the rich and wealthy. So it's no surprise that the once predominantly white community in the 1990s has dramatically changed to be more than 50% Asian (primarily Chinese).

    Foreign investors won't save America's housing market. But according to a recent report by Capital Economics, if large economies such as China and India continue to develop, foreign buyers could increasingly account for a greater share of U.S. home sales.

    The American Dream isn't dead -- it's just changing.