????擁有一套自己的房子是每個人的夢想。不過自從美國房地產市場崩盤以來，房屋銷量直線下降，喪失抵押品贖回權的人也達到了創紀錄的人數。很多人不禁質疑，這樣的夢想到底還值不值得追求。《時代》雜志（Time）去年刊登了一篇文章，戳穿了買房有理的迷思。而美國的決策層也開始懷疑，對于許多人來說，租房是不是要比買房更劃算。

????美國人已經開始糾結租房還是買房的問題，但是四處收購便宜房產的外國買家卻迫不及待地想要抓住一絲美國夢。他們現在正在美國房市最不景氣的佛羅里達和加利福尼亞等州大肆收購房產。專家表示，外國買家的進入，可能起到幫美國穩定房市之效。

????美國房地產市場崩潰后的這幾年里，外國買家的置業行為一直是這個慘淡的市場里少有的亮點之一。據美國房地產經紀人協會（National Association of Realtors）的數據，去年（從去年3月算起，到今年3月結束）外國人共在美國購買了價值820億美元的房產，比前年的660億美元有了大幅提升。美國的近鄰加拿大是這支外國買家隊伍的主力，貢獻了23%的銷售額，緊隨其后的是中國，其次是墨西哥、英國和印度。阿根廷和巴西加在一起，貢獻了銷量的5%，比去年增長2%。

????當然，僅靠賺外國人的錢，并不見得就能使美國房市起死回生，畢竟外國人買走的房產只占了房市總銷量很小的比重。不過對于佛羅里達州和加尼福利亞州來說，事實已經證明，外國富豪和投資人的購房行為已經對當地產生了重要影響。外國人買走的美國房產40%坐落在這兩個州。房地產網站Trulia在研究了國際買家對美國房產的偏好后表示，尤其佛羅里達的珊瑚角、羅德貸堡、邁阿密、那不勒斯、邁爾斯堡、基西米（迪士尼的老家）、奧蘭多和杰克遜維爾等地，更是國際買家最鐘情的去處。佛羅里達州賣出的住宅有20%被海外買家收入囊中，其中大半是加拿大人。

????佛羅里達的房價在2006年達到歷史最高值。后來由于失去抵押品贖回權的人很多，該州房價劇烈縮水，方便了國外買家趁虛而入。此外美元疲軟，尤其是相對加元走低，也刺激了越來越多的加拿大人到美國的風景名勝和城市近郊買房。可以說在美國買了房子，這些“老外”的美國夢就有了一個落腳之處，不過在不同人眼中，美國夢的意義也不盡相同。大多數國外買家都是用現金購房，他們并不把美國的房產當作生兒育女、頤養天年之所，而是把它當成一個度假的去處，平時就租出去。

????這些國際買家重新定義了美國夢。如果說他們使弗羅里達房地產市場避免了進一步崩盤的災難，興許有點夸張，但他們至少穩定了該州房市。現在在邁阿密，雖然買房還是比租房更劃算，不過國外買家的大量涌入，也使許多人對租房產生了更大的興趣。房地產網站Trulia的最新房價與房租比率由七月份的6躍升至七月份的12（該比率低于15，則意味著此地買房比租房更劃算）。一般來說，在一個健康的房地產市場里，買房和租房的經濟成本應該是近乎相等的。所以該數值的變化有著重大的意義。

????加利福尼亞州也從外國購房者那里獲得了很多好處。加州的房價在2007年達到歷史峰值，最后一路下跌，到2009年觸底時，房價已經下跌了59%。不過和佛羅里達不同的是，加州的救星是近來一直在全球大肆購房圈地的中國人。為了給過熱的經濟降溫，中國政府提高了利率，收緊了借貸標準，導致中國國內的購房成本上升，很多炒房者被迫到國外淘金。加州最吸引外國人的城市是洛杉磯、舊金山、比佛利山莊和圣地亞哥。

????其中圣馬利諾市是獲益最多的城市。多虧大量外國買家（大多數是中國人）涌入該市的富人區購買住宅，因此在美國的房市崩盤時期，該市經濟受到的沖擊并不大。去年圣馬利諾市的平均房屋價格是有史以來最高的，超過了150萬美元，比前年上漲了1.6%。對于中國大陸人來說，住在這個地區，就是身份和財富的象征。無怪乎這個90年代以白人為主的社區，現在50%以上都是亞洲面孔（其中尤以中國人居多）。

????外國投資者并不能拯救美國的房地產市場。但據資本經濟公司（Capital Economics）最近發布的一份報告顯示，如果中國和印度等大型經濟體持續發展，外國買家買走的房產占美國房地產銷量的比重也會越來越大。

????美國夢未死——它只是變了個樣子。

????譯者：樸成奎

????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.