Chapter 22 Chapter 22 House Viewing 2
A flash of understanding flashed in Brother Li's eyes, and he quickly replied, "I know you're businesspeople making a fortune. How do you say time is money? Don't worry, I'll recommend the best house I have. But I have to be frank: prices in the city have been rising. The last brochure I gave you was printed before the New Year, and most of the houses are now selling for hundreds or even thousands of yuan more. I just found a few good houses, and before I could even print the information in the brochure, the landlords are asking prices significantly higher than the market price."
What this means is that landlords are confident in their houses and it is basically impossible to find a bargain.
But Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang looked at each other and didn't mind this, so they let Brother Li elaborate.
Brother Li stood up and said, "I happen to have the keys to two apartments. I'll take you there to have a look. We can talk about the details while we're walking around. But I can guarantee that while the prices may not be cheap, they're definitely worth it. One of them was renovated just two years ago. If you don't mind, you can move right in..."
Although Lin Nanjiang's plan meant that he would be the one to do the hard work of looking at houses and decorating, and that wouldn't have much impact on Liu Suqin, as they were a couple, she remained committed to efficiency and was the first to respond to Li Ge's suggestion, "Okay, let's go look at houses first."
Brother Li's job can be said to be full of wind and sun, but the income is also considerable. He recently spent a huge amount of money to buy a motorcycle. Every day he travels through the streets and alleys looking for suitable houses. It is also convenient for him to take clients to see houses, which greatly improves his work efficiency.
Of course, if there are many customers in a group, they cannot ride a motorcycle and can only walk or take a taxi.
Only Lin Nanjiang and Liu Suqin came today, and there were no traffic police on the street to catch overloading, so Brother Li warmly invited them to ride on the motorcycle together.
The couple readily accepted the advice.
At this time, the city center was already bustling with traffic, so motorcycles were more convenient than three-wheeled or four-wheeled vehicles. They could travel through the streets and alleys and take shortcuts anytime and anywhere.
Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang sat on the back of the motorcycle and watched Brother Li turn and turn through several alleys. He soon got off in front of a bungalow, took out the key to open the door, and introduced, "This is the one I mentioned at the beginning that you can move in with your luggage. It looks a bit old from the outside, but the owner renovated it two years ago. In order to make it a wedding room for his son, he used the best materials. Moreover, after the renovation, only the landlord's son and daughter-in-law live here, and they don't have any children, so it looks almost the same as a new house. What I mean is that you have just had a new baby, and you two are working hard alone outside, running a business, and taking care of a newborn. It's also too busy. If you are too busy, you might as well choose this as a transition. When the child is older and can go to school, you two will have some free time. Then you can move to a bigger house or redecorate it according to your own preferences. It will be convenient, right?"
It's no wonder that they recommended it with all their heart, taking into comprehensive consideration their current situation and needs. After hearing this, Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang both had a different opinion of the unremarkable bungalow. When the door was opened and they saw a small courtyard of about two square meters inside, they were even more impressed.
Seeing this, Brother Li smiled slightly. "With a yard at home, I won't have to worry about washing and drying quilts in the future. The kids can also play in the yard by themselves. Besides, high-rise buildings are becoming more and more popular now. When people hear about villas with elevators and overlooking the whole city, they are very yearning. If you ask me, as these bungalows become less and less common, the price will eventually rise. This is what they say, "scarcity makes things valuable, right?"
Liu Suqin gave thumbs up crazily in her heart. Brother Li is indeed a man in this line of work and has good vision.
On the way here, he introduced the geographical location of the house in detail. There are hospitals, vegetable markets, supermarkets and everything else around it. The bus stop is just a few steps away, making life quite convenient. The important thing is that with continued development, this area may become a CBD in many years. By then, even if you don't gamble on the chance of demolition, which is comparable to the lottery jackpot, the value of the house itself is immeasurable.
In a word, buy it! It is guaranteed to be profitable.
Liu Suqin was extremely excited, but Lin Nanjiang had a lukewarm reaction to this recommendation. He shared the same idea as the general public nowadays: when he could live in a high-rise building with an elevator, why would he choose a bungalow? Wasn't he tired of living in the mud house in his hometown?
But he asked himself, although the outside of this house is ordinary, the inside is a different world. Although the landlord has cleared out most of the furniture and appliances, leaving only the basic bed, cabinets, tables and chairs, the whole house seems more spacious and bright. The tiled floor looks spotless, and the sunlight pours in through the large windows, which makes people feel relaxed and comfortable.
Although it's just a bungalow, the lighting is not much worse than those of the buildings.
Therefore, as long as his wife likes it, Lin Nanjiang himself has no objection. After all, as Brother Li said, it is not just this one house they can buy. If they work harder, they can buy a bigger and more beautiful elevator house in a few years and get it done in one go!
Brother Li observed the couple's reactions. Seeing they didn't express a clear opinion, but their faces showed no reluctance or resistance, a good sign. He then led them on a tour, giving them a detailed tour of the living room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen before changing the subject. "However, the landlord's son is very promising. He was assigned to a very good company after graduating from university. His wife is his college classmate. The young couple continued to study even after starting work and just got a place to study abroad. Unfortunately, his wife wasn't as lucky and didn't get a government-funded place, only securing a half-scholarship. Of course, such an opportunity is rare, and the landlord's son and daughter-in-law are reluctant to give up and have decided to study in the United States. His wife can help with her tuition and living expenses by working part-time there. But the landlord couldn't bear to see his son suffer, so he had his wedding room unused. Renting it out would bring in an extra hundred or two hundred yuan, but compared to the cost of studying abroad, it's a drop in the bucket. It would be better to sell it directly and scrape together a few tens of thousands of yuan, which would truly solve the couple's urgent needs..."
After such a long introduction and preparation, Brother Li finally talked about the most critical price. The landlord offered 80,000. Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang took a breath when they heard it.
You should know that in Shenzhen, a special economic zone and a city with a relatively prosperous real estate industry, mortgage loans, installment loans and other businesses have not yet been introduced. Houses are basically paid in full in cash. You can imagine that a bungalow is priced at 80,000, which is an astronomical figure.
Lin Nanjiang couldn't sit still. "How dare you pay so much for an old, shabby bungalow? You might as well buy a new property! Although the housing prices in good locations and high-end communities have risen to several thousand or even tens of thousands per square meter, there are always cheaper options. We ordinary people also want to live in new houses and have a good life. I heard that a property opened last year, and the cheapest unit is less than a thousand yuan, and it's a newly built building. Isn't it better than this?"
Liu Suqin nodded and added, "There are also communities that were delivered a few years ago, and some are still unfinished and listed for sale. We can buy these second-hand houses at a much lower price, and they will be just like new houses after they are renovated."
"That's right, just buy this kind of rough second-hand house."
Brother Li explained sheepishly, "You can't compare. Even though this apartment's certificate says it's only 100 square meters, the bathroom, kitchen, and yard aren't even counted. The actual area is probably 140 to 150 square meters. And the residential complex you're talking about also has a common area. So, you paid for 100 square meters, but only got 80 or 90 square meters. So, it's still a good deal, right?"
Despite Lin Nanjiang's reaction, Brother Li could still tell they were interested in the apartment, at least more so than the other clients he'd brought in. So he pushed the deal as hard as he could. "But the price is a bit steep. It's not just you. I've brought seven or eight other clients here this month, and they all really like the apartment. Their biggest complaint is that the landlord's asking price is too high. I've actually been trying to convince the landlord to lower the price a bit, so he can sell it quickly and secure the profit. He seems to be a bit persuaded. If you're interested, I can negotiate the price with him, and I think we can get it down a bit."
Then he asked them about their target price.
Based on the principle that if the other party asks for a high price, you should pay it back, Liu Suqin gave an answer of 60,000.
The experienced real estate agent was almost stunned by the aggressiveness of the bargaining, "This... this is too harsh."
Just as he was about to say something else, he heard Lin Nanjiang muttering something about how an old, shabby bungalow actually cost 60,000 yuan, and how people in big cities just don't treat money as money. He acted as if he was reluctant to do it. Finally, Brother Li shut up and said with a wry smile, "Okay, I'll try to talk to the landlord. If everything is satisfactory and we can't agree on the price, we can arrange to discuss it in person later."
The buyer and seller negotiate face to face, and it depends on who makes the first move. Anyway, he has done his best and leaves the rest to fate.
As a mature agent, Brother Li knew that he couldn't rely on just one thing. He asked hesitantly, "So this is your budget?"
Lin Nanjiang was about to nod when Liu Suqin spoke first, "Of course not. As long as the house is in line with the market price, it's understandable that it's a bit more expensive."
To put it bluntly, they have money, but they can't be taken advantage of.
Brother Li smiled with relief. "That's good. I have another nice one, even bigger than this one, with four bedrooms and two living rooms! It's the residence allocated to a leader by the company. There was a housing reform a few years ago, commonly known as the "three-three system," which allowed employees to buy the company-allocated house for one-third of the price. This family also chipped in and bought it. However, at the time, the property rights weren't clearly defined to individuals. Only in recent years, with the development of the economy, various aspects have been liberalized. These purchased company houses are now allowed to apply for personal property certificates, which means they can be freely bought and sold..."
As for the second house, Brother Li mainly explained its specific situation, but did not exaggerate about it, because its advantages are obvious and can be seen from the first glance when entering the community.
Yes, the housing estates for employees here are very safe, and there are people diligently guarding the security booths. It is not much different from regular residential areas.
And on the way here, Liu Suqin did not miss the kindergarten and primary school on the same street, which seemed to be a key primary school.
Isn’t this the legendary school district house? She was immediately attracted by it.
The three were allowed to pass only after registering at the security booth.
To make it easier to explain the community, Brother Li parked his motorcycle outside and walked them into the complex, introducing the apartment buildings they saw as they walked. The area and layout of each apartment building were slightly different. The one they were going to was in the middle of the complex, and they arrived soon. Brother Li led the two people in, talking non-stop, "You see, the family housing is different from those privately developed properties. The materials are solid and the houses are more than ten years old, but they look like they were built only a few years ago. The distance between the buildings is also very spacious, even if you live on the first floor, your home will still have plenty of sunlight, without having to worry about being blocked by the opposite floor. But it's very humid here, and people like us who come from other places probably won't be used to living on the first floor, hahaha..."
As he joked, Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang both put on masks of pain on their faces. If there was anything in Shenzhen that bothered them or even made them hate it, it would have to be the return of the south wind that they had just experienced. During that time, the house was wet from the walls to the floor. To be more exaggerated, you could have raised fish in it. There was never time to hang the washed clothes to dry. In order to ensure that everyone had clean underwear to change into, they could only use a hair dryer to dry them, and the electricity bill soared instantly.
Of course, anything that can be solved with money is not a problem. But there are many things that even money cannot solve: damp clothes and quilts, moldy kitchen utensils every other day, and myself who feels like I am living in a dark and damp environment and am about to grow mushrooms at any minute...
Brother Li empathized with this and quickly said, "So the apartment I picked for you is very good. It's on the third floor, with plenty of light and low humidity, but it's not too high, so it won't affect you taking the children up and down the stairs."
Lin Nanjiang nodded, "The third floor is not bad."
"This is it." Brother Li raised his hand and knocked on the door. After waiting for two seconds, a pretty woman in her thirties opened the door. He stepped forward and greeted her familiarly, "Qiaojie, I'm bringing a client to see the house. This is Boss Lin and his wife."
Then he turned around and introduced them to the two of them, "Qiaojie is the landlord's niece..."
Qiaojie also readily invited them into the house and took the initiative to introduce, "My uncle is out of town on a business trip these past few days, and my aunt is in the capital taking care of the grandchildren. They asked me to stay here for a while. I'm here to welcome anyone who wants to look at the house. I think everyone should be familiar with the situation here. You can take a look around. Except for the master bedroom, which is inconvenient, you can go into all the other rooms. But if you like it and want to negotiate the price, you should talk to my uncle in person. He usually has Sundays off."
Brother Li smiled and said, "I've already explained the general situation. I'll tell you the remaining details as we go along."
Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang had no objections and followed the two to start the tour.
The exterior of this residential complex is well maintained, but the interior does show some age. This is mainly because soft furnishings and fine decorations were not popular when the owner first got the house. He may have spent all his savings on the house, so he didn't decorate it much. He just painted the walls white and laid the cement floor before moving in.
In the past, the whole family, young and old, lived in it, and it was filled with daily necessities, which looked warm and everyday. But this time, the owner's wife and children all lived in other places, and they had already decided to sell the house. Many luggage and furniture were cleared out in advance, so the house looked empty, simple and shabby.
But in the mouth of Li Ge, a veteran real estate agent, the disadvantage was instantly transformed into an advantage. "A new house, a new look. Brother Lin is buying a house in Shenzhen with his wife and children, so he's definitely going to renovate it, right? It's good that this house doesn't have a lot of decoration. There's no need to tear it down and rebuild. He can just paint the walls and tile the floor, which saves a lot of trouble."
Lin Nanjiang was stunned by what he said and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
His satisfaction with the house was beyond words. It didn't matter that the house was simple, the key was that it was an apartment building. Even if it couldn't compare to those high-end villas with elevators, it was something he had never dared to dream of before.
Eat one's food one bite at a time and realize one's dreams one step at a time. They are still young and there is no need to rush.
Another thing that made Lin Nanjiang very satisfied was that he heard Brother Li and Sister Qiao casually mention the neighbors upstairs and downstairs in their conversation. It was said that they were all long-time colleagues of the landlord and they all held more or less positions.
He was so happy at the time, thinking that if he bought this house, wouldn't he be neighbors with a bunch of leaders from his workplace every day? Even if they didn't have any real influence, let alone the power of others, as a poor boy from a humble background, he could live in the same building with the leaders. What could he not be satisfied with?
Besides, he and his wife were already set in their ways, but they already had a daughter, and maybe a son in the future. Their child, living here, would have known the leaders' children since childhood, playing and going to school together, receiving a similar education. They would undoubtedly become pillars of the country, just like them. Under Liu Suqin's daily brainwashing, Lin Nanjiang had already developed this mindset, even without knowing the story of "Mencius' Mother Moved Three Times."
Liu Suqin herself didn't have such lofty ambitions. Instead of pushing her children to succeed, she wanted them to succeed themselves. As long as they worked hard to earn money and become the first generation of wealthy people, they could provide the best conditions for their children. As for how much success they would achieve in the future, it would depend on them. As parents, they didn't need to rely on their children to change their fate. All they had left was the simplest wish: to hope that they would grow up healthy, safe and happy.
Of course, she also likes the environment here and the advantages of the school district, so the couple hit it off right away.
So after looking at the other rooms besides the master bedroom, Liu Suqin asked, "I heard that the house has a property ownership certificate. Is it convenient for you to take a look?"
"Sure, I'll get it." Qiaojie paused and agreed, quickly coming out with a green booklet. "The household owner, Yan Xiangdong, is my uncle. Don't worry, all the paperwork is complete. My uncle is selling the house honestly. If you have any questions, just go to his workplace and see him. Any other questions?"
Brother Li also chimed in, "Yes, we can help with the paperwork. I remember Brother Lin mentioned before that you guys wanted to move your household registration here, right? Don't worry, our company can handle it together, but we'll have to pay some extra fees."
Liu Suqin had been so focused on buying a house and settling down, wanting to be the envied resident of the Special Administrative Region, that she had forgotten about her youngest son. Now that she remembered, she asked Brother Li, "Can we transfer the child's household registration here first?"
"No problem." Brother Li met all the customer's needs before curiously asking, "But aren't you and Brother Lin moving your household registration here together?"
Lin Nanjiang also looked at his wife with confusion. He didn't know why she was the one who said she wanted to buy a house and settle down, but now she is not in a hurry to transfer her household registration.
"I don't know what the policy is here, but we have a rural household registration in our hometown. If our first child is a girl, we are allowed to have a second child after she turns five. I'm thinking of registering my daughter in Shenzhen first so that she doesn't have to go to school. We can move together after we have our second child."
Brother Li suddenly realized. He was from Northeast China. In his place, no matter if they lived in the countryside or the city, or had a formal employer or not, they were not allowed to have a second child. So he was a little envious. "Then you will have both a son and a daughter in the future. What a blessing!"
Qiao Jie also sighed in envy, but Lin Nanjiang didn't seem to mind. "We don't have a job anyway, so the worst that can happen is we just have to pay a fine."
Liu Suqin just glanced at him calmly and asked, "Do you have money to burn?"
Her tone was not harsh, but Lin Nanjiang was instantly afraid to breathe. Brother Li reaffirmed their family status and quickly tried to smooth things over. "Sister-in-law, this is just a precaution. Those people in the Family Planning Office are so ruthless. They want to give birth to a child even if they pay the fine. If they find out mid-pregnancy, they'll drag you to the hospital for an abortion after seven or eight months."
Lin Nanjiang shuddered when he heard this, and quickly put on a flattering smile, "My wife is indeed foresighted. I will do as you say."
Brother Li also tried to test it out, "Yes, sister-in-law, do you think this house is okay?"
Liu Suqin did not answer directly, but asked the price first. Qiaojie quoted 80,000.
For the same price, the configuration far exceeds the previous one. The area on the property certificate is the same as the actual area, which is more than 140 square meters, with four bedrooms and two living rooms. It will be spacious enough for the children to live in when they grow up, and the utilization rate will be higher. Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang did not make a fuss this time.
But she felt uncomfortable if she didn't bargain, so she frowned and said, "It's so expensive, can we negotiate further?"
"My uncle will be back from a business trip in the next two days. You can come over on Sunday and talk to him directly," Qiaojie said straightforwardly. "But let me be clear, my uncle is sincere about selling the house, and this price is absolutely correct. If you're thinking of just paying him back, then don't bother with it. I'll give him a hundred or eight thousand at most. My aunt isn't home, and my uncle doesn't want to worry about this. He just wants to sell it quickly and have some peace and quiet."
The fact that Qiaojie could say this showed that there really wasn't much room for concessions. Liu Suqin stopped pretending and said, "Isn't the landlord going to retire in a few months? If I sell the house now, what will he do?"
"Their unit has dormitories and a guesthouse, so two months shouldn't be a problem."
Liu Suqin nodded, "Okay, then we'll come again on Sunday."
Not only does the landlord dislike arguments, she doesn't like it either. If they settle down and decorate the house earlier, they can move into their own house sooner.
That was about it. They looked very carefully and discussed many details. It was already past ten o'clock when they left. When Qiaojie saw them off, she politely asked them to stay for dinner. Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang were of course not so shameless. Brother Li also wanted to seize the time to take them to see a few more houses. More choices would increase the transaction rate.
So the two of them got on the motorcycle and went to two places.
It was indeed not as good as the previous two, but Brother Li was able to find an angle that was favorable to him and persuaded him, "As you can see, there are not many good houses, and everyone has their eyes. So when you find a suitable one, don't hesitate. Someone else might get there first."
When they said this, the three of them were sitting in a restaurant waiting for their food to be served.
Brother Li treated us to a meal. This restaurant was not very high-end, but it was said that the food was very authentic. As a northerner, he highly recommended it. The sweet and sour pork, three fresh vegetables, and chicken stewed with mushrooms that were served one after another were surprisingly quite suitable for Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang's taste.
Tired and hungry after looking at houses for most of the day, the three of them settled down to eat. While chatting about the restaurant industry, Lin Nanjiang casually mentioned that after they bought a house, they would also look for a storefront nearby. Brother Li slapped his thigh and said, "What a coincidence! I have a house on hand. It's street-facing, with two floors. The upper floor is the landlord's residence, and the lower floor is a newly built storefront. The landlord plans to sell both and buy an apartment with an elevator. It would meet your needs perfectly. Do you want to go take a look after dinner?"
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