When I asked to go upstairs to take a look, Brother Ping seemed very wary. He said to me, "Are you here to scout things out? Let me tell you, I'm all alone, and there's nothing for you to covet!"
I emphasized my point and laughed, "No, look what you're thinking... I just have a money-making idea right now, so I want to do some on-site investigation to see if it's feasible!"
Brother Ping became interested and moved closer to me, asking, "Tell me, what's the idea to make money?"
"Take me upstairs to have a look first, then we can talk more later."
Ping Ge responded and quickly finished the breakfast I bought for him. Then he led me up to the second floor of his shop. Ping Ge was a rather slovenly old man, so his room was dirty and messy. But that didn't affect my judgment. Judging from the second-floor room, it was very suitable to be used as a temporary inn. Not only did it have a private bathroom, but it also had a miniature kitchenette. When guests came, they could use an induction cooker to cook some simple meals, which was very convenient.
Back on the first floor, I said to Brother Ping, "You know how booming the tourism market was in Dali during last year's Spring Festival, right?"
"I went back to Beijing for Chinese New Year last year, but after I came back, a friend mentioned that the guesthouses were packed!"
I nodded and said, "Yes, if I rent twenty shops in Jiulongju that can be used for both commercial and residential purposes and convert them into temporary inns, wouldn't I make a fortune during the Chinese New Year?"
Bottle Bro was taken aback for a moment, then exclaimed, "Wow... a temporary inn in this place?!... Dude, your idea is a bit unconventional."
"Yes, I only rent it for one month, specifically for the month around the Lunar New Year."
"...This is definitely a possible path...but I still think it's difficult."
"You know, if there were no difficulties at all, I would be the one who would feel guilty... Anyway, I think it's impossible that no one else has discovered such a good business opportunity. Since no one else has done it, it must be because it's difficult."
"Not necessarily. Your idea is quite unconventional; most people wouldn't think of using shops on this commercial street to run a guesthouse business! ... If this works, you're a genius... But have you considered that the landlords on this commercial street are rarely in Dali? Renting 20 houses before the New Year will be quite difficult. First, finding their contact information will be a huge challenge. Besides, you're only renting for a month. People who can afford to buy houses here generally won't be interested in such a small amount of money. If you rent for several years, they might even be willing to come all the way here to sign a contract, right?"
"Yes, I have thought about this problem, but I don't think it's unsolvable... When I was chatting with a friend before, he mentioned that some people from Beijing came here and bought twenty apartments at once. If I rent directly from such big buyers, there wouldn't be so much trouble."
Brother Ping nodded and replied, "You're quite well-informed. If you rent twenty units at once, even if it's only for one month, the rent will still add up to a considerable amount. It's worth it for the landlord to come all the way here."
"Um... By the way, you're from Beijing too. Do you know that guy from Beijing who bought 20 shops in one go?"
Brother Ping curled his lip and replied, "I do know him, but I don't think you can rent his shop. He bought it and left it unfinished. If you're looking to make quick money, you definitely shouldn't rent a bare-bones place. Think about it, renovations take so much time, and you're only renting it for a month, it's not worth it for you to do the renovations for him... I suggest you find another shop that has already been simply renovated."
"Well, I'll pass on the 'bare' shell, I can't afford that much for renovations... Are there any other large clients here who have already finished renovating their shops?"
"Let me think about it..."
While Ping was thinking, I handed him a cigarette. After taking several puffs with his eyes squinted, he said to me, "I remember there is one. It's in the middle of the street. There are about seventeen or eighteen shops with the same decoration style. I guess it was bought by one boss... Come on, I'll take you to see it now."
...
Following Brother Ping to the center of "Jiulongju," we indeed saw a total of 16 shops on both sides of the street, all with a unified decoration style. Unfortunately, the doors were all locked, so we couldn't go up and take a look; otherwise, we could have made a clear judgment immediately. Actually, I don't have high requirements for the shop's decoration. As long as there is a clean restroom inside, and simple wall treatment and floor paving are done, that's enough. As for other details of decoration, I will certainly invest some money to do it myself.
While I was thinking about all this, Brother Ping asked me again, "How much do you plan to charge per day for a house like this during the Chinese New Year?"
"Starting from 1,500 yuan."
"Isn't this price a bit outrageous?"
I chuckled and replied, "Is it dark?... This is a small suite with a living room on two floors. You really don't know what the market was like last year during the Spring Festival. Some guesthouses were selling sofas in their common areas for 300 yuan a night... Some high-end sea-view guesthouses in Haidong were even selling first-line sea-view rooms for a sky-high price of 12,900 yuan. Considering the overall environment and room quality of Jiulongju, 1,500 yuan is already a very reasonable price!"
"Is it really that exaggerated?"
"Yes, it really exists!"
Brother Ping took out his phone, found the calculator, and muttered to himself as he calculated, "1500 yuan per room a day, twenty rooms, that's 30,000 yuan. If the peak season during the Spring Festival lasts for 30 days, that's 90,000 yuan in income... You're something else, making 90,000 yuan a month. I can't even make that much in a year!..."
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