2010/07/13

Some words in Unit 1

real estate : property in the form of land or buildings
estate agency (UK)
= real estate office (US)
= realty office (US)
estate agent (UK)
= real estate agent (US)
= realtor (US)

penthouse: a very expensive and comfortable apartment or set of rooms on the top floor of a building

condominium (condo) : an apartment building in which each apartment is owned separately by the people living in it, but also containing shared areas

studio
: one-room apartment

ensuite
: a bathroom that is joined onto a bedroom, especially in a hotel

mansion
: a huge, expensive house

story = storey (Br.)
a level of a building
This is a two-story house.

If you want to know how big a house is in square meters...
How big is the house in square meters?
How many square meters is the house?

renovations: improvements that put a building back into good shape

interior
: the inside of sth.

servant: someone, especially in the past, who was paid to do household chores and who often lived in the house

property
: a building

prestigious address: an address in a successful, admired neighborhood

Note: Most of the definitions used in class are from Longman Comtemporary Dictionary of English. So I highly recommend using those online dictionaries for definitions.