[originaltext] M: Buying a home is a huge investment. Before you jump into th

M: Buying a home is a huge investment. Before you jump into the wonderful world of house ownership, make sure you are prepared. With me now is Jean Chatzky, the chief editor of Money magazine. Good to see you, Jean.
   W: Nice to see you.
   M: Now home buying rates are going through the roof, people are buying homes, men and women.
   W: Right, new home sales came out again yesterday and they are again skyrocketing up about 15 percent from last year.
   M: We’ve got a series of questions that women can ask and they want to determine whether they should be buying a home. First one, “Is now the right time to buy?” Everybody has been talking about “Oh, the bubble, the bubble, the bubble…” Is now the right time to buy?
   W: There’s no question that there are regional bubbles. If you live in a place where home prices have gone up 30 percent in the last couple of years, you probably want to make sure that you are at least gonna live in this home for a long enough period of time. Then you don’t have to worry if prices come down a little bit.
   M: The next one is kind of interesting. “Are you better off renting?” And I always thought, you are always better off buying, but not true?
   W: Not necessarily. You have to remember there is a cost to the transaction there you gotta pay the broker. There’s a cost for moving service. If you are not gonna be in this home at least 3 to 5 years, you may wanna look at renting at this period of time.
   M: How much can you afford as a female house buyer?
   W: It’s not just a question of the mortgage, the interest, the taxes and the insurance. That would be your big nut for a new home. But you’ve gotta remember that you are likely to need a percentage of the value of the home for maintenance each year.
   M: You say it’s important to find whether your FICO score is good enough. What’s a FICO score?
   W: Your FICO score is your credit score, and basically it’s an indication of how much of a risk you will be to the bank. If you’ve got a great FICO score, you’re gonna be able to log in a mortgage under 6 percent over 30 years. If it’s not so good, it’s gonna cost you 4 percent more, and that’s significant money.
   M: And then there are a lot of mortgages out there, different kinds of mortgages. You have to ask which one is best for you.
   W: Right, you need a suitable mortgage. You can get yourself a planned 30-year mortgage or 15-year mortgage or other kinds.
   M: All right. Jean Chatzky, good to see you.
   W: Thank you.
   Questions 6 to 10 are based on Conversation Two.
   6. What is the interview mainly about?
   7. How is this year’s new home selling compared with last year?
   8. How long is enough for your staying there to buy a new home?
   9. Which is NOT the factor for the affordability of a new home?
   10. What is the bank willing to grant you if your FICO score is very good?