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Note to the teacher:
This is an individual writing activity. By writing letters to fictional characters, students have an opportunity to articulate their own thoughts and feelings about homeownership in a nonthreatening venue. Below are other students’ examples that you can have your students read before or after they write their own. Following the examples is a worksheet students can use to write their letters.

This exercise is an adaptation of the Fannie Mae Foundation’s ESL curriculum. The original exercise can be found here in the student guide How to Buy a Home in the United States.

 

Tools for Teachers

Activity: Advantages and Disadvantages of
Owning a Home: Student Letter


Student Examples

Dear Rosa and Manuel,

I would like to give you advice about buying your own house. If you decide to buy a home, you have to be sure you can pay the mortgage every month.

The advantages are that you don’t have to pay the landlord. Also there are no rules, but there are zoning laws. Anyone can live there. You can make changes and remodel.

The disadvantages are that you must pay for the mortgage, and also interest, taxes, insurance, water, and utilities. You could lose the house if you don’t have enough money to make these payments. You must fix things yourself, cut the grass, do yard work and other maintenance.

You have to be thinking about all of these things.

Sincerely,

Tanya


Dear Rosa and Manuel,

The present letter is to tell you some things about the house that you want to buy.

First the advantages: when you have your own house you can do whatever you want, and you don’t have to pay rent. You can have the things that you want in your house.

But when you buy a house you have disadvantages too. You have to fix the problems in your house by yourself. You have to pay taxes every year, and you have to pay all utilities.

My advice for you is to look for a good house for you and your family. If you want to buy that house you must borrow money. You have to pay back that money, but the house is for you and your family.

Sincerely yours,

Roxanne Figueroa

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