"Over the last two years, the price of commercial properties hasn't shown any clear upward trend. In fact, there are even signs of a decline. So, if you're going to buy, you'd better think it over carefully."
If it were anyone else looking to buy, Zhuo Weidong certainly wouldn't have said this. He considered Yi Anguo a friend, which was why he gave him the friendly reminder.
However, Yi Anguo, who was familiar with what the future held, wasn't worried about depreciation. The transaction prices for storefronts along this entire street would never fall below 100,000 yuan per square meter.
But to be honest, investing in commercial property definitely didn't offer as much potential for appreciation as residential property did. However, if you could rent it out, the rental yield was certainly higher than that of a residential rental. Buying at 18,000 yuan per square meter, a loss was definitely out of the question.
"I will consider it carefully," Yi Anguo said with a nod.
"By the way, have you considered selling those large six-bedroom, three-living-room apartments of yours? Besides, they're hard to rent out," Zhuo Weidong said, finally bringing up the real reason he had called Yi Anguo over.
"Brother Zhuo! Those apartments are all rented out now! It's not a good time to sell, and the prices haven't risen much, have they? It wouldn't be very profitable," Yi Anguo said hurriedly.
Even if I were to sell, now isn't the time. Waiting a few more years would make a lot more sense.
"I have some friends who want to invest in large apartments, and I've run out of the six-bedroom, three-living-room type," Zhuo Weidong explained.
"Then they could buy property at Water Pavilion Floral City. Aren't they on sale now?" Yi Anguo suggested after a moment's thought. "That development seems to be priced at 11,000 yuan per square meter! It's pure luxury with unlimited potential for appreciation—much better than buying property at Blue Coast."
Seeing Yi Anguo's refusal, Zhuo Weidong pulled him aside to persuade him. "That large property you own is hard to rent. Selling it now is a great opportunity! As for the price, I can talk to them and get them to offer a bit more. How about 8,000 yuan per square meter?"
"Brother Zhuo, why do they insist on buying your properties here? With their money, they could buy anywhere else, couldn't they?" Yi Anguo asked, perplexed.
"How would I know? They just want to buy my properties here. What can I do?" Zhuo Weidong replied helplessly.
"But you've already sold out. What can they do? Surely they can't force you to sell apartments to them, can they?" Yi Anguo asked.
"I had no choice! I thought you wanted to get rid of those large units, so I agreed to find someone to resell to them," Zhuo Weidong said with frustration. "If I had known you had already rented them all out and weren't in a rush to sell, I wouldn't have made such a promise. Now that the words are out, there's no taking them back. And these people are not to be trifled with; I can't afford to offend them. So, I owe you a favor this time. Please, just do this to help me out."
"Sigh! I was planning to hold onto these apartments and sell them for over one hundred thousand per square meter in a decade or so. Just think how much I'm losing by selling them now," Yi Anguo lamented.
"You might as well be a highway robber! Selling for over one hundred thousand per square meter in a decade? You should be counting your lucky stars if you can get 20,000 per square meter," Zhuo Weidong scoffed.
"Do I absolutely have to sell to them?" Yi Anguo asked, his reluctance apparent.
Zhuo Weidong said awkwardly, "Just consider it helping me out this time."
"How many units do they want? And what about my tenants?"
"Thirty units," Zhuo Weidong said. "Don't worry about the tenants. Just transfer the leases to them. They're only investing; they don't plan to live there themselves."
"What about the sales office for phase two?" Yi Anguo asked again.
"It's 1,350 square meters in total. Give me 20 million for it. That's a good deal, right?" Zhuo Weidong said breezily.
"Brother Zhuo! I really don't want to sell. I'm only doing this out of respect for you. If you hadn't been so good to me, I would never agree to sell," Yi Anguo said helplessly. "Believe it or not, in less than three years, they won't even be able to dream of buying this property for less than 20,000 yuan per square meter."
"Thirty six-bedroom, three-living-room units, each at least 258 square meters. Losing 12,000 yuan per square meter means I'm down three million on a single apartment. For thirty apartments, that's 90 million! I could even lose over a hundred million.
"And that's just the price in three years. Thirteen years from now, it will sell for at least 100,000 per square meter. I'd be losing 20 million on a single apartment, which adds up to six or seven hundred million in total!"
"You've really got some imagination. Twenty thousand per square meter in three years, and one hundred thousand in thirteen years? At that rate, in thirteen years, you'd be a multi-billionaire without lifting a finger."
Yi Anguo was full of big talk, but naturally, Zhuo Weidong didn't believe a word of it. It might be plausible for the price to reach twenty or thirty thousand per square meter in a decade. But one hundred thousand per square meter? Was he joking? Even housing prices on Harbor Island weren't that high.
After the deal was struck, the buyers were all smiles, declaring that if Yi Anguo ever needed anything, he could just ask them for help.
"I have a niece who graduated with a degree in education. She wants to be a permanent teacher at one of the primary schools here."
You said you wanted to help, right? Well, let's see you help then. Yi Anguo thought as he casually brought it up.
"A teaching job at a primary school? No problem at all! Leave it to me," said a man with a very refined air.
Yi Anguo was taken aback for a moment. He glanced at the business card he was handed and saw nothing but a name and a phone number.
Zhuo Weidong whispered the man's identity in his ear, which gave Yi Anguo quite a shock. It was the first time in both his lives he had ever spoken to someone of such high status. He grew curious about the identities of the others.
"My girlfriend is at Shenzhen University studying business administration," Yi Anguo continued. "She's interning at a big company, but she has to attend social functions almost every night and often gets back very late. It's worrying me to death."
"Business administration at Shenzhen University, huh? Your girlfriend must be quite talented!" another man said with a smile. "As it happens, the Blue Mountain Regional Tax Bureau is looking to fill a civil servant position. She can start as an intern and then take the exam to secure a permanent post."
The conversation was a real eye-opener for Yi Anguo. The backgrounds of these men were truly formidable. No wonder Zhuo Weidong didn't dare to offend them. Yi Anguo knew that in his shoes, he wouldn't dare either.
「That night」
Li Sisi came home late again after a social function, having had a fair amount to drink.
Yi Anguo frowned and told her he had pulled some strings to get her an internship at the Blue Mountain Regional Tax Bureau.
Li Sisi's eyes lit up with surprise. "Really? What kind of connections did you use? That's amazing!"
"It was through President Zhuo, the developer of Blue Coast. You'll start as an intern and then take the civil service exam. Do you want to go?" Yi Anguo asked.
"Of course, I want to go! What do you take me for, an idiot?" Li Sisi said, beaming with joy. "A job at the Regional Tax Bureau is incredible, and a civil servant position at that? Only a fool would turn it down!"
"Honey! You're amazing, simply incredible."
"Honey! I love you!"
That night, Li Sisi was incredibly passionate.