1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 193 Investment: Buying Several Houses I Like

"What are you thinking about? You look so worried first thing in the morning. Did someone bully you again? Do you need me to help you deal with it?"

In the kitchen, Gu Bin, very domestically, put on an apron and prepared breakfast. He then carried two plates into the bedroom and placed them on the desk.

"No one is bullying me, I was just thinking..."

Lin Xiyu hadn't gotten up yet. She lazily rolled over, propped her chin up with her hand, and looked at him with interest.

"What are you thinking about?"

Gu Bin took off his apron and teased with a smile, "Did you think your husband looked so handsome in an apron that you were so mesmerized that you started having all sorts of fantasies?"

"You look really handsome, you deserve praise."

Lin Xiyu offered a candid comment: "But that's not what I was thinking. Are you in such a hurry to go to Beijing? Could you postpone it for a while, and let me look around Shanghai first, buy a few suitable houses, and then leave? House prices are changing every day now, and I'm afraid that if I wait until after the New Year to buy, I'll end up spending a lot more money unnecessarily."

"can."

Gu Bin readily agreed: "You go ahead and take care of your business. There's no rush with Sixth Grandfather. I'll tell Qu Peng to ask them to wait a few more days."

Are you going to visit your sixth grandfather?

Lin Xiyu frowned: "We've already agreed on a date, it wouldn't be good to change it now, why don't you go by yourself first?"

“I think Sixth Grandfather would prefer to see you.”

Gu Bin quickly interrupted her, not giving her a chance to refuse.

Lin Xiyu didn't believe it: "You are his closest relative."

"Actually, my sixth grandfather was very disappointed in me because of my mother's situation."

Gu Bin reopened his old wounds and played the emotional card: "If you don't go, I'm afraid Sixth Grandfather won't want to see me and will kick me out of the house."

"Must go?"

Lin Xiyu still had concerns: "We've been separated for five years now, and I don't know what the Gu family will think."

"Other people are not important."

Gu Bin didn't take it to heart: "As long as Sixth Grandfather approves of you, no one will dare to gossip."

"Okay."

Lin Xiyu hesitated for a long time, unable to bear refusing him, and finally agreed with a stiff upper lip.

-

With school on holiday and free time, Lin Xiyu began to put her plan into action, contacting a real estate agency to look at houses she liked.

She focused her house selection on the HP district, around Nanjing Road and Huaihai Road. Although she had been working in Shanghai for several years, she didn't dare say she knew this rapidly developing city very well. She only knew that these two roads were the most bustling and prosperous areas, and that buying a house here would be a safe investment with a large potential for appreciation.

Wu Meng volunteered to be her strategist and accompany her to look at houses.

The two best friends were initially very excited, thinking that as long as they had money, buying a house would be a piece of cake.

However, the booming housing market has far exceeded their expectations.

A dozen or so people were vying for a single house, taking turns bidding. Whoever offered the highest price got the house from the real estate agent, and the contract was signed on the spot.

Are those people shills?

Wu Meng watched with her heart pounding: "In just a few minutes, the price has increased by tens of thousands. I thought I was seeing things and hallucinating."

"This can't go on. We need to find someone knowledgeable to ask what's going on."

Lin Xiyu was more composed than her. She secretly found an intermediary, gave her a small fee, and tried to find out the inside story.

"Sister Lin, I'm only telling you this, please don't tell anyone else."

The real estate agent was a young girl named Liu Hua, who looked to be in her early twenties. She was very eloquent and kept calling her "Sister Lin."

"Among those people just now, a few are genuine tenants like you, buying houses for their own investment and residence; the rest are real estate speculators."

"Property speculators?"

Wu Meng looked completely bewildered: "What do you mean?"

Liu Hua covered her mouth and whispered, "It's about teaming up to speculate on houses, driving up prices, and then reselling them to make a profit."

"Is there still this?"

Lin Xiyu was also extremely surprised: "With the housing market booming, even real estate speculation groups have emerged."

"Judging from their accents, they don't seem to be locals from Shanghai."

Wu Meng, like a thief, glanced at the members of the real estate speculation group with her lowered eyelids.

"Sister Wu guessed correctly, they came from Wenzhou."

Liu Hua nodded secretly, mirroring her gesture: "Many people are from the same village. They pool their money to buy houses and then resell them, splitting the profits."

"People from Wenzhou are amazing."

Wu Meng suddenly realized: "People from their area all know how to do business. When I was in college in Suzhou, I heard a classmate from Wenzhou say that his mother told him personally, 'If you have the ability, go into business; if you don't, take the civil service exam.'"

"Hey, hey."

Lin Xiyu was both amused and exasperated: "They're speculating on real estate, which is really putting us in a difficult position. They're pushing housing prices higher and higher, and I can't decide whether I should buy or not."

"Sister Lin, if you trust me, please listen to my advice."

Liu Hua, considering the kickback, genuinely cared for her: "I know from my job that once the housing reform policy is implemented, rising housing prices are inevitable. Actually, it's a bit late for you to buy now. Prices have already risen once before the new year, with all houses increasing by about 10%. More and more people will speculate on houses in the future, and the later you buy, the more you'll lose out."

"I feel so too."

Wu Meng thought it made sense and kept urging, "Xi Yu, buy it! Don't hesitate any longer, or all the good houses will be gone, they'll all be snatched up by them."

"The key issue is that I don't know how much of a markup is appropriate."

Lin Xiyu rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on: "Adding too little means you're helping others, adding too much means you're losing out."

"Sister Lin, listen to me."

Liu Hua gave her advice: "Next time you buy a house, just act like a rich woman and add 5 yuan to your asking price as soon as you open your mouth. Make them afraid and not dare to raise the price to compete with you."

"is this okay?"

Lin Xiyu's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't a real rich woman; adding another 50,000 yuan right off the bat made her feel the pinch.

"Okay, it must be done."

Wu Meng wholeheartedly supported: "With Gu Bin backing you up, what's there to hesitate about? With three million in hand, are you afraid you won't be able to buy a house you like?"

"Sister Lin, you have so much money? How many houses do you want to buy?"

Liu Hua, with her sharp ears, widened her eyes in surprise upon hearing the word "three million."

She just mentioned it casually, never expecting that the beautiful woman in front of her was actually a potential big client.

"Let it go."

Lin Xiyu didn't want to reveal her true thoughts, so she casually replied, "This money isn't mine; I'm managing it for someone else. It would be difficult to explain if I bought something too expensive."

"Sister Lin, do you think this will work?"

Liu Hua's gaze towards Lin Xiyu was now incredibly ardent: "Let's exchange phone numbers. You tell me what kind of house you're looking for, and roughly what price range you're interested in. I'll help you find one, and I'll give you priority recommendations if I find a suitable one."

"Row."

Lin Xiyu was just worried about not having a knowledgeable insider to help her, and someone offered themselves up, so she readily agreed: "If you can really help me buy a house that I like, I'll use you to buy all my houses in the future, and you can make all the brokerage fees."

"Hehe, thanks sis."

Liu Hua had been waiting for these words, and her gaze towards her became even more fervent.

Do you still have any properties available?

Wu Meng had taken leave to act as the strategist, but was quite unwilling to give up after failing to achieve her goal: "Can you take us to see a few more houses today?"

"Ready-built houses available"

Liu Hua laughed awkwardly: "But that house isn't in a better location than this one; it's not in the area the sisters prefer."

"Where?"

Eager to curry favor with her boss, Wu Meng asked impatiently, "Give me a specific location first, maybe we'll find one we like."

Liu Hua opened her notebook: "I remember there was a set in the PT area, near East China Normal University." "Oh my, what a coincidence."

Wu Meng chuckled and gave Lin Xiyu a knowing look: "We bought back your alma mater. Back when we were students, Gu Bin dreamed of buying a house there as your love nest. We couldn't buy it then, but now we can have our wish fulfilled."

"Cough cough."

Lin Xiyu's ears turned red, and she coughed awkwardly twice.

"Did Sister Lin graduate from East China Normal University?"

Liu Hua's eyes lit up, as if she could see money flying in the sky.

"No."

Wu Meng then said with a smile, "She's a graduate student at East China Normal University, the most beautiful flower in the English Department. So many people want to pursue her but can't."

"Sister Lin is a graduate student? That's amazing."

Liu Hua's lips were sweet as honey: "I admire those who study well the most. It's a pity that I'm not capable enough to get into university. I started working after graduating from high school."

"How old are you?"

Lin Xiyu had a good impression of her; the girl was pretty and had a sweet tongue, and she looked somewhat similar to her cousin.

"19 years old."

Liu Hua was afraid they would think she was too young and unreliable, so she kept proclaiming herself: "Don't underestimate me just because I'm young. I've been in this business for two or three years now, and I've sold at least dozens of houses through my hands."

"Then you must have made a killing!"

Wu Meng joked with a smile: "You real estate agents can earn at least tens of thousands in commission per house, and hundreds of thousands for dozens of houses."

No, no, no, there aren't that many.

Liu Hua hurriedly waved her hand: "The housing market wasn't this hot before, and housing prices weren't this high. After the company took a cut from the sale of the house, we wouldn't have much left."

Wu Meng smiled and coaxed, "Your Sister Lin is a big client. If you flatter her more, you'll definitely get your share of the benefits."

"It is my honor to serve Sister Lin."

Liu Hua responded smoothly, her bright smile revealing a maturity beyond her years.

"This girl is good."

Lin Xiyu smiled and praised, "She's quick-witted and has a sharp tongue; she's just so likable."

"You're not a local from Shanghai, are you?"

Wu Meng also became interested in chatting with her, and then asked with a smile, "Where is your hometown?"

"From Fujian."

Liu Hua did not hide anything: "My hometown is in Nanping, which is very close to Wuyi Mountain."

"Wuyishan!"

Wu Meng suddenly realized, "The scenery looks beautiful on TV, and bamboo rafting is very famous, but it's a pity we've never been."

"If you sisters have time, I can take you back to our hometown for a few days."

Liu Hua was really going all out for her commission: "My family runs a small restaurant at the foot of the mountain. If you go there, you'll get food and lodging included, and I can even take you into the mountain for free."

"That would be great."

Wu Meng was amused and exuded an air of dominance: "Just because of what you said, we have no choice but to buy the house. Let's hurry up and leave. Don't linger here. When we get there, watch me. I have to show my rich woman's aura. We're going to have that house near East China Normal University."

"okay."

Liu Hua smiled and took the two of them by taxi to East China Normal University.

-

Just as Liu Hua said, the house located near East China Normal University on Zhongshan North Road in the PT district is very close to the gate, only a ten-minute walk away.

Lin Xiyu was very familiar with the area and was very satisfied with the house after seeing it. She immediately decided to buy it.

"The owner of this house wants to emigrate and is eager to sell."

Knowing her well, Liu Hua gave her a quote: "A 55-square-meter apartment, priced at 16 yuan, averages out to about 3000 yuan per square meter, which is a reasonable price."

"I doubt you can buy it for 16."

Wu Meng glanced at the other people in the room. Seeing that there was competition, she lost her previous domineering aura and nervously sweated.

"We're quite lucky to have come at such a good time."

Lin Xiyu felt a little relieved: "Those people, judging from their accents, were all locals; they weren't a group of property speculators."

"That'll be easy."

Wu Meng straightened her back and perked up again: "As long as there are no speculators, there's nothing to worry about. Watch me, I'll bid against them."

"Okay, you go ahead."

Lin Xiyu gave her an approving look: "I support you in spirit."

How much should the price increase be at one time?

Wu Meng is smart enough not to act recklessly.

"Ten thousand?"

Lin Xiyu hesitated and said, "This isn't Huaihai Road. Adding 50,000 right away is too much of a loss; it's unnecessary."

"Row."

Wu Meng nodded, having no objection.

"Don't speak yet."

Lin Xiyu thought for a moment and then said, "Let them make their bids first, and then we'll just raise our bids a little higher."

"Makes sense."

Wu Meng gave a thumbs-up to express her admiration: "You're so smart. Let's do it this way. No matter how much they raise the price, I'll add another thousand yuan."

"That won't work."

Liu Hua, with her experience, offered some sound advice: "A thousand yuan is not enough to make them give up; on the contrary, it will only spur them to continue competing with you."

Lin Xiyu frowned slightly: "How much do you think would be appropriate?"

"Five thousand."

Liu Hua held up five fingers and waved them in front of the two men: "You need to offer at least 5 yuan more than them to dissuade them from continuing to compete."

"Ok."

Lin Xiyu humbly accepted: "Then five thousand."

"OK."

Wu Meng also made an OK sign to indicate that she understood.

-

As it turns out, the saying "listen to advice and you'll have a full meal" is very true.

Under Liu Hua's secret guidance, Wu Meng's momentum of raising the price by 5,000 yuan six times in a row shocked everyone.

The apartment near East China Normal University was eventually sold for 22 yuan.

Lin Xiyu paid a deposit of 10,000 yuan on the spot and signed the purchase contract.

The homeowner wanted to go abroad and couldn't take the existing furniture with her. She felt it was a waste to sell it at a low price, so she negotiated with the landlord and agreed to add 3000 yuan to leave all the furniture and appliances to her.

Lin Xiyu estimated it and felt it was a reasonable offer, so she gladly accepted his request.

The remaining payment was settled within three days, and the homeowner honored the agreement by handing over the keys after receiving the full amount.

Both parties enjoyed the cooperation and were very satisfied. Liu Hua was all smiles when she received her commission.

Having experienced buying a house for the first time, Lin Xiyu felt comfortable entrusting her with the important task of choosing a house next.

Liu Hua is very attentive; she will notify Liu Hua as soon as a good property becomes available.

The two cooperated smoothly, and Lin Xiyu later bought several more houses that suited her taste from her.