Reborn as a landlord in Shanghai

Chapter 118 Buying a Room

Early Saturday morning, Mao Xiaoyu and Attorney Zhang experienced the fast pace of Hong Kong.

From the moment Attorney Zhang met the two of them until the journey to the school for registration, whether by car or subway, they ran the whole way.

Mao Xiaoyu never imagined that simply registering at school would require such a lot of running around.

Moreover, it seems that these Hong Kong people have already gotten used to it; their movements, whether running or walking, are incredibly smooth.

Luckily, Mao Xiaoyu is taller and has longer legs, so two of her steps are equivalent to three of others' steps. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to outrun Attorney Zhang.

And so, after an hour's journey, we finally arrived at the Wan Chai School for Performing Arts.

"Mr. Mao, before you enter the performing arts school, let me tell you something. If someone asks you how you got into the performing arts school, don't say you got in through an exam, because you weren't in the exam and it's easy to be exposed. Just say you're a student with a special talent. As for what your special talent is, just say you have a certain degree of fame in China and are considered a minor celebrity."

Attorney Zhang whispered to Mao Xiaoyu.

"Isn't this performing arts academy affiliated with VTC Education? Why are they making such a fuss?" Mao Xiaoyu asked speechlessly.

"Who said they're one company? These are two separate departments, not one at all. VTC Education is also known as Hong Kong Professional Education Institute (IVE). If you want to attend the film and television academy run by VTC Education, you should go to the Kwun Tong branch."

"You're currently attending a performing arts academy, which also has associate's programs. After two years of associate's studies, you can transfer to a bachelor's program. You were admitted through a special admissions program because your interview was excellent. You can study music, dance, and film and television," Attorney Zhang explained.

"What you've said has confused me. What kind of school did I attend?" Mao Xiaoyu said, scratching her head in exasperation.

It feels like attending a diploma mill in China, being sold out, and still counting the money.

"You said you wanted to study for a bachelor's degree. Originally, I was just going to introduce you to VTC Education, but since you wanted to pay for a bachelor's degree, I happened to know someone who could help you. After all, these schools admit quite a few students through special admissions every year. You donated HK$100 million, so of course I let you go."

"One million Hong Kong dollars isn't a lot for me. The main reason is that you're rich. Although performing arts schools have excellent students, you still need wealthy people to go far in the entertainment industry. As for... well, some things are better left unsaid. Just come to school with me," said Attorney Zhang.

Hearing what Attorney Zhang said, Mao Xiaoyu didn't say much more. After all, he had already helped her so much, and there was no point in saying anything more. In any case, Attorney Zhang had arranged everything, and she knew nothing about it.

And so, Attorney Zhang took Mao Xiaoyu into the performing arts school, and after wandering around the campus, they found someone, and then Mao Xiaoyu and Attorney Zhang followed this person to pay the money.

Good grief, Mao Xiaoyu couldn't help but complain inwardly when she saw the money she had to pay.

Because she needed to study three subjects, each subject cost more than 3 yuan per semester. With other miscellaneous fees, the total cost was more than 14 yuan. As for the sponsorship fee, Attorney Zhang had already paid it for Mao Xiaoyu.

After Mao Xiaoyu paid the money, it took some time to process the student cards. The school sent someone to show the two of them around the school and explain where students should take their classes. After half an hour of touring the school, they returned to the place where the money was collected.

"Alright, Mr. Mao, here's your student card and a slip of paper for things you need to buy. Keep these two things safe. That's all I need to do now. Mr. Mao, go ahead and rent an apartment or buy what you need to buy. Just come to school the day after tomorrow."

After the student card was issued, Attorney Zhang handed it to Mao Xiaoyu.

"Thank you for your help today, Attorney Zhang." Mao Xiaoyu took the student card and note and put them directly into her pocket.

"It's alright, it's my job. Now that this is done, I'll be leaving. If Mr. Mao needs anything, please feel free to call me anytime," Attorney Zhang said.

Hearing Lawyer Zhang's polite words, Mao Xiaoyu thanked him twice again. After Lawyer Zhang left, Mao Xiaoyu began to prepare to find a place to stay.

Staying in a hotel is definitely out of the question. Wan Chai is the most luxurious area in Hong Kong. The cheapest hotel room here costs one or two thousand dollars a day, which would amount to tens of thousands of dollars a month. With that money, it's better to rent an apartment.

With that in mind, Mao Xiaoyu could only drag her suitcase and prepare to find a real estate agency to ask where she could find a place to rent, preferably one that was ready to move in immediately.

Many rental apartments in Hong Kong are fully furnished but lack beds or bedding. It's too much trouble to buy a bed for these apartments.

"Sir, this apartment is 230 square feet in total, with one bedroom, one living room, and one bathroom. Everything is ready, so you can just move in with your bags. It's also very close to the school, only a ten-minute walk away. Many of your seniors have probably lived here before."

Ms. Liu from the real estate agency, with her long, wavy hair and neat uniform, opened the room with a key while introducing the general details of the apartment.

After Attorney Zhang left, Mao Xiaoyu went directly to a real estate agency, explained her requirements, and was then shown apartments by Ms. Liu.

Ms. Liu is already in her forties, which is considered normal in this industry. Unlike in mainland China, young people in Hong Kong are not so ambitious; there are young people in all kinds of jobs.

In Hong Kong, some jobs don't have many young people. After all, there are few young people to begin with, and those who can find employment prefer easier jobs. Generally, young people are unwilling to do jobs that are too strenuous or don't pay much.

As soon as Ms. Liu finished speaking, the door opened, and Ms. Liu took the lead and walked in, followed by Mao Xiaoyu.

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The house isn't big. Because houses in Hong Kong now include shared areas, the 230 square feet that Ms. Liu mentioned would only be about ten square meters if you subtract the shared area. Moreover, the house needs to be divided into one bedroom, one living room, and one bathroom, which makes the house seem even smaller.

Although small, it has everything you need. The bed, TV, washing machine, and induction cooker are all provided. Mao Xiaoyu only needs to buy some daily necessities to move in.

"What is the usable area of ​​this house?" Mao Xiaoyu asked casually.

"It's 176 square feet, and the shared area is about 25%," Ms. Liu quickly said.

Wang Xiaoyu nodded upon hearing this.

Although the house is a bit small.

But for a single man like Mao Xiaoyu, it's enough. The only problem is that the apartment doesn't get much natural light; there's only one small window, so the whole space feels a bit cramped.

"How much is the rent?" Mao Xiaoyu asked again.

"The monthly rent is 8000, with a 3-month deposit and 1-month rent in advance. If Mr. Mao pays for a year, we can give him a 9.5% discount," Ms. Liu said directly.

Wow, that's so expensive!

Knowing that renting in Wan Chai, Hong Kong is very expensive, Mao Xiaoyu asked to find a cheaper place when she was at the real estate agency.

But even the cheaper ones cost 8000 yuan a month now, so how much would the more expensive ones cost?

That would cost at least ten or twenty thousand.

Thinking about this, Mao Xiaoyu felt a bit resistant to renting a place.

After all, I'll be living here for a few more years, and even if I go back to the mainland, I'll still have to leave this house here.

The thought of having to pay 8000 yuan in rent every month even though she wasn't living there made Mao Xiaoyu feel even more uncomfortable.

"If I were to buy this house, how much would it cost per square foot?" Mao Xiaoyu asked.

"The average house price in Wan Chai is HK$8 to HK$1.2 per square foot. However, because we are close to the Eastern District, the price is a bit cheaper than in Wan Chai and Causeway Bay Centre. So the house price is about HK$6000 per square foot. Based on our house being 230 square feet, it is about HK$138 million." Ms. Liu started calculating for Mao Xiaoyu after hearing what she said.

Upon hearing the price calculated by Ms. Liu, Mao Xiaoyu smacked her lips.

A house costing HK$138 million with a usable area of ​​only a dozen square meters is equivalent to more than HK$8 per square meter. Of course, there is now a shared area, so the price is about HK$6 per square meter.

Although HK$60,000 per square meter is quite expensive, renting a house costs HK$8000 per month, HK$100,000 per year, and HK$400,000 per four years, which seems even more expensive.

If I were to buy this myself, it would only cost HK$138 million. Of course, HK$138 million is just the price of the house. After deducting various taxes, the actual purchase price would probably be around HK$160 million.

Should I buy or rent?

After considering the idea for a moment, Mao Xiaoyu decided to buy it.

As a landlord, how could I possibly rent someone else's house?

Thinking of this, Mao Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment and said, "Are there any houses that big for sale? I'd like to buy a house that's over 200 square feet, like this one that's move-in ready. I need to move in today, but I want to buy it."

Upon hearing Mao Xiaoyu's words, Ms. Liu exclaimed with delight, "Yes, there are some in this building. They're about the same size and have similar layouts. If you'd like to see them, I'll have someone bring the keys over."

"Okay, let someone bring the keys over!" Mao Xiaoyu agreed.

"Okay, Mr. Mao, please wait a moment. I'll call someone to bring the keys right now." After saying this, Ms. Liu quickly took out her phone from her pocket and went out to make the call.

A few minutes later, Ms. Liu came in and said, "Sir, we've already arranged for someone to deliver the keys. They should arrive in about twenty minutes. How about I show you around the apartment first, so you can take a look when you go to see it later?"

"Alright, go ahead and say it," Wang Xiaoyu agreed.

"That apartment is in the same building as ours. The apartment we are looking at now is on the 12th floor and has a total area of ​​230 square feet, while that apartment is on the 15th floor and has a total area of ​​242 square feet."

"Of course, because it's a bit bigger, it's more comfortable to live in, and the ceiling is higher, so the view is more open. Therefore, that set costs 6300 yuan per square foot, with a total price of over 152 million yuan," Ms. Liu said.

"The price can be negotiated, right? I can't just accept whatever price the landlord quotes," Mao Xiaoyu said, frowning.

"The price is negotiable, but not by much, because the market price is very transparent. At most, you can only reduce it by tens of thousands of yuan. You know, these small apartments are very easy to rent out. People rarely sell these small apartments unless they are short of money. Moreover, the rental return rate of these small apartments is particularly high. You can break even in more than ten years," Ms. Liu said, frowning as she analyzed.

"Try pressing it down as much as possible," Mao Xiaoyu said helplessly.

After all, the other party is not their own employee, and this is a seller's market, so it is not easy for the buyer to gain an advantage.

After waiting for about 20 minutes, someone finally brought the keys, and then Mao Xiaoyu followed Ms. Liu to the 15th floor, where she saw the apartment that had just been mentioned.

The houses are all pretty much the same, probably all decorated by the same company. They're also quite clean, which is obvious. If there's any downside, it's the same as the house below: it's too small.

"I want this house, but you have to negotiate the price down to 145 million. And since I'm buying it today, you know whether I can move in or not. I've already brought my bag with me, and I'm going to school the day after tomorrow, so I don't have time to move around." Mao Xiaoyu looked at the house, felt it was okay, and didn't have many requirements, so she decided to take it.

"Um, Mr. Mao, wait a moment, let me call the landlord and see if he agrees?" Ms. Liu quickly replied when she heard that Mao Xiaoyu wanted to buy it.

"Okay, you can ask around. If it's possible, I'll buy it!" Mao Xiaoyu nodded, indicating that she was okay with it.

When Ms. Liu saw Mao Xiaoyu there, she quickly went out to make a phone call. After waiting for about 20 minutes, she didn't know how she talked to the landlord, but the landlord finally agreed to give her 1,458,000, saying it was an auspicious number.

Mao Xiaoyu didn't care about the extra 8000 yuan and didn't think much about it, saying it was no problem.

Having decided to buy the house, Mao Xiaoyu went with Ms. Liu to the real estate agency to sign the contract, swipe her card, and pay the money. By the time the whole process was completed, it was already past 2 p.m.

By 2:00 PM, everything was finished. Next, I just had to wait until tomorrow to go to the housing management office with the landlord to complete the transaction. Then, in a maximum of half a month, I could get the property certificate.

Now that the house was booked and the keys were in hand, Mao Xiaoyu took her luggage, left the real estate agency, and returned to the house, where she put her luggage inside.

After finishing all that, he sat down, took out his student ID and the list of things he needed to buy before starting school, and wanted to see what he needed to buy next.