stjorthotic Chapter 43: Demolition Countdown, Secret Purchase of a Golden House
Chapter 43: Demolition Countdown, Secret Purchase of a Golden House
Lin Bei put his phone in his pocket.
He stood up from under the shade of the tree and patted the dirt off his pants.
Driving practice?
Why bother practicing driving now?
I have over 2.1 million yuan in hand, and the window of opportunity is so small. If I delay for even one more day, I'll be able to buy one less house.
This isn't a house!
This is practically free money!
Lin Bei had just reached the entrance of the driving school when he ran into the uncle surnamed Li.
The uncle had dark circles under his eyes today, which were lighter than a few days ago. He was wearing a fisherman's hat around his neck and carrying a thermos in his hand.
He watched Lin Bei walk towards the door and paused for a moment, then asked, "Hey, Lin Zi, it's about to start, where are you going?"
"The coach will be here soon."
"Brother Li," Lin Bei stopped, "I have something urgent to attend to today, so I won't be practicing."
He was about to turn and leave when he suddenly remembered something: "By the way, I wanted to ask you something."
"You've lived in this area for a long time, do you know if anyone in XX street is selling a house?"
"It's one of those older neighborhoods, the kind that's a bit run-down."
Uncle Li switched the thermos to his other hand, his brow furrowing: "XX Street?"
"Those are all old, dilapidated houses, older than me. The paint on the walls is peeling off like it's snowing. Even if they were given away for free, nobody would want to live there."
Why are you asking this?
Lin Bei made up a lie without changing his expression, "My grandfather likes to live in those old houses. He says he's not used to living in new houses because the underfloor heating is too stuffy and he doesn't know how to press the elevator buttons."
"Our family wants to buy him a place so he can live comfortably in the future."
Uncle Li said "Oh" and nodded: "Your family is quite filial."
"However, I do know a few."
"I have a fishing buddy who lives over there. The two houses next to his are both vacant. The owners moved out a long time ago. The houses have been listed with real estate agencies for more than half a year, but no one has inquired about them."
Lin Bei took out an unopened pack of cigarettes from his pocket and stuffed the whole pack into the uncle's hand.
"Then I'll trouble you to ask around, Brother Li. I'll treat you to dinner after it's all done."
Uncle Li looked down and his eyes lit up instantly. "Forget about treating everyone," he said.
The middle-aged man put the cigarette in his pocket, chuckled, and said, "Just give me two more packs of cigarettes."
"Leave it to me. I'll go ask tonight and get back to you tomorrow."
"Okay," Lin Bei nodded, thanked him, and turned to leave the driving school.
I took out a cigarette while walking down the street, lit it, and took a puff.
It's true that having connections makes things easier.
During the few days he spent outside the driving school, he became acquainted with the students, offering them cigarettes and chatting with them; not a single cigarette was given away for free.
That afternoon.
Lin Bei went directly to XX Street.
He had been to this area more than once in his previous life.
In 2008, this was still the edge of an urban village.
Several rows of drab residential buildings are crammed together, with gas cylinders and old bicycles piled up in the stairwells, and the walls covered with posters for unclogging sewers and issuing certificates.
In another two weeks, once the demolition notice is issued, these old and dilapidated houses will immediately become prime locations for school district housing, and prices will skyrocket.
But he can't be too greedy.
Lin Bei knew very well what the consequences would be if an eighteen-year-old high school graduate took millions of yuan in cash and swept through an entire street.
When the developer investigates and the demolition office questions him, he won't even be able to give a clear explanation.
The premise of making a fortune quietly is that you can't let anyone notice that you're making a fortune.
Therefore, Lin Bei's strategy is very simple.
I will only buy one unit in each community, and I will absolutely not buy more than one unit.
Moreover, you need to find properties where the owner has long since moved out, the houses have been vacant for years, and they've been listed with real estate agencies for more than half a year without anyone looking at them.
These homeowners usually have a little money, but they don't care about the rent. They find keeping the old house troublesome, but they are also reluctant to sell it cheaply.
As long as a reasonable price is given, the transaction will be completed quickly.
The first one is on the fourth floor of Unit 3 in the community.
The landlady was a middle-aged woman in her fifties. When she heard on the phone that someone wanted to buy her dilapidated house, she sounded skeptical.
Lin Bei asked her to meet him downstairs.
The landlord took him upstairs to take a look. It was a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment, over 60 square meters. There was indeed a piece of peeling paint on the corner of the wall, and the iron railing of the balcony was so rusted that it was crumbling off.
However, the apartment has a square layout, good natural light, and is less than 300 meters away from the planned new school.
The negotiation process lasted less than twenty minutes.
The landlord asked for 350,000 yuan, sticking to his word, saying that although the house was old, it was in a good location and would definitely appreciate in value in the future.
Lin Bei didn't argue with her about the location; he just pointed out the plaster on the corner wall and the rusty railing, and said that the house had been empty for several years and no one had taken care of it, so the water and electricity pipes had to be redone.
In the end, both sides compromised and the deal was settled for 300,000.
They signed the contract and put their fingerprints on the spot, and agreed to go to the housing management bureau to transfer the property the next day.
When Lin Bei came out of the residential area, the sun was already setting in the west.
He folded the contract, put it in the folder he carried with him, stood by the roadside, smoked a cigarette, and went over his next plan in his mind.
We'll transfer ownership of this property tomorrow morning, and then go to another street to look at a second one in the afternoon.
I aim to spend all the money I have within a week, spreading it out across different locations and neighborhoods.
When Lin Bei got home that evening, he took a shower, lay in bed, and picked up his phone to browse QQ.
The profile picture of "Singing Lonely" was lit up. He typed a line in the chat box, thought for a long time, and then deleted it.
He still doesn't know how to tell his wife.
He just borrowed two million from someone and today went and bought a dilapidated old apartment. He looks like a fool.
Let's talk about it next month when the house makes a profit.
When the time comes, just pay me back directly, and add interest along with it. From then on, everything you say should sound nice.
Just as Lin Bei was thinking, his phone suddenly rang.
He took out his phone and saw that it was his mother calling.
Lin Bei answered the phone, and the familiar background noise was there again.
However, this time there was no train whistle, but rather the sound of announcements from the train station.
"Xiao Bei, your dad and I have bought tickets. We'll be home in three days."
"Your dad asked me to remind you one more time: remember to wash the dishes after you eat."
"Okay, okay." Lin Bei propped up his pillow a little and replied, "You guys can have three more days of fun outside. There's no need to rush back."
"Oh, by the way, your dad said he'll check your homework when he gets back."
"I've already finished the college entrance exam, so what homework do I need?"
There was an instant silence on the other end of the phone.
Mom was whispering with Dad, then Mom's voice came back: "Check your...summer vacation plans."
Lin Bei smiled helplessly: "Mom, if you have nothing to say, then don't make an awkward conversation."
They chatted briefly, then hung up, put their phones on the bedside table, and turned over to sleep.
……
The next morning at seven o'clock, Lin Bei got up on time.
While he was washing up, he checked his phone and received several messages.
I received a good morning greeting from my wife.
Another man received a text message from a friend's phone, saying that the friend had found two properties for him, and the owners were interested in selling them and wanted to arrange for him to view the properties today.
While brushing his teeth, Lin Bei typed a confirmation message with one hand.