I am a local in North America

Chapter 53 Beaver Ranch (4800 words, please read on! Please add to your favorites! Please vote with monthly tickets!)
The drive itself was rather tedious, but the scenery along the way was quite nice.

The snow-capped mountains moved slowly outside the window, the frozen streams resembled ribbons studded with diamonds, and even the withered grass exuded a desolate and chilly atmosphere.

It took more than two hours in total for Su Jerry to finally arrive at the gate of the beaver ranch that he had been longing for.

He got out of the car, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, the golden prompt was still floating in the air. The data was as clear as a holographic projection in a science fiction movie. The eye-catching prompt about "[rich in shallow placer gold deposits]" was indeed still there!

The information displayed in the [Environment Scan] is still the same—

[Between 4 and 7 meters underground lies an ancient riverbed rich in gold reserves, containing a high-density placer gold vein, with estimated reserves of 2.2 tons.]

After reading this information, Su Jierui felt as if the air in the beaver ranch was filled with the scent of gold mines, making him feel refreshed and relaxed.

The gate to the beaver ranch is made of brass, and it must have cost a lot of money to install it in the early days. Now, some parts of it are covered with verdigris.

The wooden fence surrounding the entire ranch had long since become rotten and dilapidated due to years of wind and rain, and in some places it was covered by vines and collapsed.

"Bro, it's a bit... shabby, not quite what I imagined. This place looks like the set of The Walking Dead that was besieged by zombies."

Arou hadn't even entered the place yet, and her first impression of it was quite ordinary.

Su Jerry couldn't tell her about the gold mine for the time being, so he could only come up with a make-up story:

"It's beautiful inside. You can see the snow-capped mountains from here. I love the natural and pristine feeling. This is such a huge ranch. Even if you take your time to walk around it, it's still seven or eight kilometers away. How comfortable it must be to live here!"

Ah Rou remained rational and advised:
"You need to calm down. It's true that the area is large, but it's expensive. If you take out a loan of $300 million for 40 years, do you think you're a Wall Street elite? How are you going to earn tens of thousands of dollars a year to pay off the loan?"

Su Jierui still couldn't explain, and gave a perfunctory answer:

“I know what I’m doing. This large ranch can raise a lot of cattle and sheep, and it can also be used to grow grain. My dad has a friend who made a fortune growing ginseng. Once I build up the infrastructure, the ranch itself will be even more valuable.”

Just then, a red Mercedes-Benz CLS drove up.

After getting out of the car, agent Ariel Connor walked over in her high heels and tentatively asked:

"Mr. Su? I didn't expect you to be so young..."

The agent, Ariel Connor, is just over 30 years old, with a full head of blonde hair, bright blue eyes, a small black mole between her eyebrows, and freckles on the sides of her nose.

She started her own real estate agency, specializing in selling luxury homes, farms, ranches, and estates in and around Seattle online.

Since graduating from high school, Ariel Connor has been learning how to become a successful real estate agent. After more than 10 years of hard work, she has accumulated a decent amount of money. Two years ago, she bought a relatively new house for herself at a low price near Clyde Hills in Seattle. The house was less than five years old.

After taking over the sales agency for the beaver ranch, she found this long-sluggish asset somewhat troublesome.

It's not that beaver ranches aren't good enough; the main reason is that compared to a large, almost undeveloped ranch, wealthy people prefer to take the easy way out and directly buy a small, already developed farm or a luxury vacation home near a tourist attraction.

Moreover, the ranch is so large that it means the neighbors are far away. The nearest neighbor's house is two kilometers away. It would be difficult for wealthy people who have lived in big cities for a long time to endure this kind of lonely rural life.

When we first started promoting Beaver Ranch, several major clients, also from Seattle, showed great interest.

After all, the allure of this land is undeniable.

The site covers an area of ​​1208 acres, and considering that nearly half of it is hilly and mountainous, the actual area available for development is much larger, seemingly more than 1208 acres.

The local scenery is truly stunning.

In the distance, the snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains gleam in the sunlight, like guardian deities overlooking this vast plain.

In addition to the streams flowing from Olympic National Park, there are also private beaches along the coast.

Unfortunately, there were no stables or mansions, and a large amount of money would need to be invested in development and construction. After careful consideration, the potential customers ultimately gave up with regret.

Having finally met a potential buyer who claimed to have "unexpectedly received a large sum of money," Ariel Connor was very much looking forward to today's meeting. She had made thorough preparations during her vacation in the Bahamas, communicating with the current owner of Beaver Ranch multiple times.

Upon first seeing Su Jerry and Arou, Ariel Connor, with her extensive experience in judging people, felt that the two of them didn't seem like they could afford a beaver ranch.

However, there are many lucky people in the world who have made a fortune by chance, and Ariel Connor's smile has never changed.

Two or three years ago, she hosted a Latino couple who had won the Powerball first prize and moved from a poor neighborhood to a wealthy one, buying a mansion worth more than $300 million, and paying for it all in full without any financial pressure.

At the time, Ariel Connor couldn't help but ask around and learned that the elderly couple, who were almost invisible in the crowd, had won more than $2450 million!

Even if you have to pay tens of millions of dollars in taxes, the amount you actually receive is still a considerable sum of money.

As a salesperson, you can't do without a sharp eye.

Despite Su Jerry's unremarkable attire and his driving of a Mustang that's everywhere, Ariel Connor sensed a strange calmness emanating from him, without any hint of pretense or awkwardness.

As for his sister, Arou, she always had a "don't care" attitude towards academics, and she also looked quite dignified and poised.

At this moment.

Ariel Connor, carrying a woman's briefcase in one hand, shook hands with Su Jierui and Arou respectively, smiling broadly as she took out her keys from the bag and introduced them:

"It was really a coincidence this time. About ten days ago, for some reason, the heir to this large ranch called me and said he was willing to lower the price and cover all the transaction commissions, but he had to find a suitable buyer within two months."

“I originally planned to revise the listing price first and prepare an open day to attract more potential customers, but your inquiry came earlier.”

“Since I’ve already agreed to show you around first, I certainly won’t invite anyone else. In the Seattle real estate brokerage circle, everyone knows me as ‘King of Deals Connor,’ and I always have the most reliable reputation.”

"The seller who inherited this large ranch from her radio host father, whom I mentioned to Mr. Su on the phone before, has moved to France. She and her husband seem to be in the pharmaceutical distribution business, and may have difficulty affording the high inheritance."

"She also has a luxury apartment in downtown Seattle, which is currently being sold urgently at a reduced price. It's similar to this one, and the price is very reasonable, about 10% lower than the market price. This is absolutely insane!"

"If you're interested, I can show you that luxury apartment again when we get back. It was renovated many years ago, but it has a really great atmosphere, and it still has a lot of antique furniture..."

The real estate agent went on and on, and Su Jierui listened attentively, then asked:

"10% lower than the market price? How much is that?"

Ariel Connor pushed open the rusty door with force, and it creaked loudly due to the lack of lubricant.

She looked at Su Jierui and said with a smile:

"It only costs $365 million, which works out to $3000 per acre. I think if we try our best, we can probably close the deal for around $360 million!"

"Believe me, once I announce this incredibly attractive new price, this ranch will be sold very quickly. Many ranchers and investors will be interested." "So, if you want to buy, hurry up, I'm afraid I can't hold it for you for very long..."

Land prices vary greatly in different regions of the United States.

In California, farmland can cost an average of $14,000 to $15,000 per acre, while in southern states like Texas and Arizona, it costs only around $1500 per acre.

Farm prices are often higher than ranch prices. The average price of farmland in the United States is four to five thousand dollars per acre, while the average price of ranch is only around $1500 to $1600.

Beaver Ranch is located north of Olympic National Park. It has its own private beach, beautiful scenery, and nearby towns, making transportation and daily life relatively convenient. Therefore, although it is a ranch, the price is not too cheap.

Buyers always like to find bargains, and they become impulsive and reckless when they encounter low prices. However, selling at the market price is a different matter altogether.

As mentioned before, Su Jierui had consulted a lot of information, and his original target price was around $370 million to $380 million. Upon hearing this, he simply smiled and replied:
"That does look pretty good. Let's go in and take a look first..."

A ranch of 1208 acres, equivalent to more than 7330 mu, is not small even in traditional livestock areas such as Wyoming and Montana.

Visiting the various places on foot would take too much time, so they each got into their cars and drove along the gravel path.

As the car drove into the ranch, it felt like entering a primitive ice and snow kingdom.

The roadside was overgrown with weeds, the vegetation had long since withered, and many places were covered with snow, making it look somewhat desolate.

The winter sun shines through the sparse clouds, casting dappled light and shadow on the snow.

The evergreen pine forests in the distance add a touch of solemnity and tranquility to this land.

No one has lived here for several years, and it will take a lot of effort to renovate this place.

Highway 101 and the ranch gate are located to the south, and not far south is Olympic National Park. At this moment, Su Jerry is driving with his sister, following Ariel Connor's agent northward. On the left is a stream that is dry for this season, exposing large areas of pebbles and dead wood.

The pine branches and leaves were covered with white snow, and occasionally animal footprints and droppings could be seen, which looked like a herd of deer or something similar.

The thought of having the opportunity to buy this large ranch filled Su Jerry with immense joy, especially with the gold mine so close at hand, making him grip the steering wheel tightly.

After driving for about a kilometer, passing through hilly areas with many trees and undulating terrain, the view suddenly opens up and the land turns into a plain.

A vast plain, covered with withered grass and trees, and snow-capped peaks, stretches out into the distance, with the coastline visible in the farthest reaches.

Further out, the deep blue sea shimmered in the sunlight, blending seamlessly with the horizon.

Ariel Connor drove past the intersection and got out of the car by a small lake. Pointing to the old white house, she said:
"Look, isn't this place as beautiful as a landscape painting? I was completely amazed when I first came here."

"It's the old cabin that the previous owner used for vacations. It's very old, and some of the wood is rotten. But before the new house is built, it can be cleaned up and used as a temporary residence for a while."

"After all, the price is so cheap. Even if you only buy this place at the land price, it's still a good deal, isn't it?"

“I have not made any false or exaggerated claims. The video I posted on YouTube has clearly explained the situation here. The soil is not fertile enough and is not suitable for growing crops.”

"Theoretically, if you buy some hay and feed from outside, you could raise four or five thousand cattle, or even tens of thousands of sheep. It would also be great to live in or turn it into a vegetable farm or a resort..."

Su Jerry could still see the snow-capped mountains in Olympic National Park. He wasn't very interested in the old holiday cabin in front of him, but he found the surrounding scenery quite charming.

Standing on this land, breathing in the crisp, pure air, and gazing at the snow-capped mountains, forests, and ocean, one feels refreshed and invigorated.

At this moment, he pointed to a dilapidated, grayish-white building on a high point by the sea in the distance and asked:
"When I watched your promotional video before, I wanted to ask you, what exactly is that building by the sea? You didn't seem to mention it in the video you filmed."

Agent Ariel Connor looked in the direction he was pointing and explained:
"That building was a small military fort built in the early 19th century, which has long been abandoned and damaged. It was originally built to defend against Canada and to check for smuggling."

"If you want to demolish it, it shouldn't be too difficult. There's also a small pier that extends more than 200 meters into the sea next to it, and there are breakwaters around the pier. A century and a half ago, this small pier was mainly used to dock coast guard patrol boats."

"Repairing it would cost a lot of money, but if you enjoy sea fishing or yachting, you can certainly keep that little dock for mooring yachts and speedboats..."

After listening.

Su Jierui had a new idea, and his eyes lit up.

He had no idea there was a small dock here; this was an unexpected surprise!

"A private dock?"

His mind raced.

If an application can be submitted to renovate and rebuild this old dock, it will make it convenient for his fishing boats to rest at the beaver ranch at any time, as it is very close to the surrounding fishing grounds.

In addition to the Junlin crab fishing boat, his family also owns the Fuyou and Yue Liangyu, both of which are 46-meter-long trawlers. The annual berthing fees for the three fishing boats at the dock alone amount to forty to fifty thousand US dollars.

To save on the considerable docking fees, Su Jerry's parents had always chosen to moor their fishing boats at the Port of Anacortes or Port of Bellingham, near Seattle.

It takes about an hour and a half to drive from those two ports back to my home in Seattle's Fisherman's Wharf.

Returning home from those docks is only about half an hour shorter than returning home from the beaver ranch, but it can save you forty to fifty thousand dollars in dock berthing fees each year, which adds up to a significant amount over time.

Su Jerry didn't know whether the local authorities would allow the renovation, nor did he know how much the renovation would cost. If it was too expensive or too troublesome, he might as well just give up.

He didn't mention anything for the time being. The land, covered with withered grass and snow, wasn't much to see this season. He just took his sister into the cabin for a look.

The floors, tables, and cabinets inside were covered in a layer of dust. The total indoor area was about 100 square meters. Besides the living room, there were two bedrooms, a fireplace, and a small study. It really was a vacation cabin.

Afterwards, they continued their visit to the dilapidated military fortress by the sea, following a path covered with snow and withered grass towards the coastal highlands, the sea breeze carrying a salty smell.

The area around the fortress is full of ruins, with roofs long since collapsed, no wonder it wasn't marketed as a selling point.

Standing atop these ruins, with an exceptionally wide view, Arou was overjoyed and whispered in her naturally encrypted Chinese:
"The walls are all made of stone, and there's a sea-view terrace, a lookout tower, and a training ground. This is a real castle!"

"If it were restored, it would be very beautiful, but it would definitely be very expensive; it would cost a lot of money!"

"However, the restored castle itself will also have very attractive selling points and may be sold at a premium. A military fortress from the early 19th century is considered very old in this country."

"Repairing it is far too expensive; even if you put all your prize money into it, it probably wouldn't be enough... So I think it's more appropriate to just build a heavy-duty wooden house. We can buy the timber from my brother-in-law, or apply to cut down trees directly from this ranch..."

……

(End of this chapter)