Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Middlemen Make a Profit Margin
Qin Mu listened and then frowned slightly. After hanging up the phone, he took out his cellphone, logged into a certain customer app, and searched for the listing of his house located in the Fourth Ring. He wanted to see if the agency had made a mistake, which was why so many people had viewed the house without any actual intent to purchase.
Before selling the house, he had specifically checked. Houses of the same type near the Fourth Ring generally sold for 850,000, some even reaching 900,000. His, under the same conditions, had its bottom line dropped to 750,000. Yet it still hadn’t sold; something definitely wasn’t right.
The result... You wouldn’t know until you checked, and checking was quite a shock.
"How come my house is priced at... 950,000?"
Looking at his own listing information and price, Qin Mu was stunned for a moment.
He remembered clearly that on the house sale consignment contract, his intended transaction price was 800,000, with a possible decrease of around 30,000 to 50,000. But the listing on the app clearly stated 950,000! That was even tens of thousands higher than the market price.
Considering so many people had viewed the house, yet not a single one showed interest in buying... Qin Mu’s expression suddenly darkened. This could only mean that Lin Zhen had secretly edited the house information and quoted a higher price to the prospective buyers, which was why no deals were made.
Thinking of this, he called Lin Zhen again to demand an explanation.
But Lin Zhen complained, "Mr. Qin, it’s like this: the 950,000 is the company’s valuation of your property. It’s just a display figure. When we show clients the house, we always do it according to your requirements.
"Every time, I introduce it at the bottom price of 750,000, and the final transaction price will also be based on 750,000. But customers these days are so difficult.
"They either complain the furniture is old or that the building has no elevator..."
Over the phone, Lin Zhen sounded full of grievances, as if he had suffered a great injustice.
After listening, Qin Mu frowned. He became uncertain again. Could it be... his house was really no good?
"Mr. Qin, don’t worry. We’ve already found interested clients and are showing them the house right now. I assure you, it will sell very soon!" Lin Zhen continued to promise over the phone.
"Just get it done quickly," Qin Mu urged, then coldly hung up.
But his intuition told him... there was definitely something fishy going on.
...
「Meanwhile.」
「In Jin City, Fourth Ring.」
Lin Zhen and his apprentice, Zhao Ludu, were showing an apartment to an elderly couple.
"Take a look, you two. This apartment isn’t bad, right? It faces south, so it’s well-lit and airy."
"Right outside the residential complex is a wet market, very convenient for buying groceries and cooking."
"Turn left when you go out, and there’s a park, perfect for after-dinner strolls and even square dancing."
"Moreover, it’s close to the subway, making transportation especially convenient. The subway station is just a two-hundred-meter walk."
"This apartment is also in a school district, with both middle and high schools nearby and excellent educational resources."
"The owner said all the furniture is included. Nothing will be moved; it all comes with the apartment."
"And there’s more..."
Lin Zhen enthusiastically continued his presentation, guiding the elderly couple, both white-haired and using canes.
After they finished viewing the apartment, the old couple exchanged a look. They were visibly interested. This apartment... it met almost all their needs. They just wanted to buy a place in the city, partly to look after their grandson.
But... they still hesitated. With conflicted expressions, one of them said, "This apartment is good, very good, but it’s a bit expensive. We... only have 800,000."
This 800,000 included some money they had saved over the years by living frugally. The main part, however, was the compensation payment from their son and daughter-in-law’s accident.
That was right. A few months ago, their son and daughter-in-law had been in a car accident. The only survivor was their grandson, who was just in his teens. For white-haired parents to bury their black-haired children—there is no greater sorrow in this world. But after the period of intense grief, they still had to live on. They had no choice but to shoulder the heavy responsibility of caring for their grandson.
After careful consideration, they decided to buy a school-district apartment in Jin City to look after their grandson, who had just started high school. However... the apartment they were currently interested in was too expensive. The agent had told them the owner wouldn’t sell for less than one million.
"Not enough money? No worries. Pay 800,000, and for the remaining two hundred thousand... we can get a mortgage, you see," Lin Zhen’s voice quietly interjected.
The elderly couple were stunned for a moment. They couldn’t help but ask, "We... we’re both retired. We live on our pensions now. Can we still get a mortgage approved?"
Lin Zhen put on a kind smile and said amiably, "Of course, you can."
"Our company has partnerships with several banks. As long as you apply, the loan will definitely be approved!"
"I just did the math. The owner is selling this apartment for one million. All in, it would be about 1.1 million, which means you’d need to loan about 300,000."
"If we go for a ten-year term, that’s less than three thousand yuan a month."
"Your combined pensions are more than enough to cover that..."
Listening to Lin Zhen’s suggestion, they exchanged another glance. Clearly, they were tempted. This apartment... it really was exactly what they needed. Before this, the agent had shown them many properties, but none had been quite satisfactory.
Moreover, their combined pensions totaled nearly four thousand a month. After deducting the monthly mortgage payment, if they were careful with the rest... it would be completely sufficient. As for their grandson’s tuition and living expenses...
"If worst comes to worst, I can find a job as a gatekeeper or collect recyclables. We should be able to manage," one of the elders said to their spouse, clenching their jaw with determination.
"How about... we go home and think it over first?" the other replied, their expression also conflicted, not wanting to make a rash decision.
"Yes, you should definitely give it more thought. After all, buying an apartment is a decision for a lifetime."
Seeing their hesitation, Lin Zhen didn’t press them, quickly adding, "Well then, we’ll wait for your good news, you two."
After the viewing, he warmly supported them and enthusiastically saw them out of the residential complex.
Only when their tottering figures had disappeared from sight did Lin Zhen’s apprentice, Zhao Ludu, finally ask, "Master, are you sure they’ll buy it?"
Lin Zhen snorted coldly. "I’ve never been wrong about people. They’re clearly keen on this apartment. And with school about to start, they’ll definitely buy it!"
His face now lacked any trace of the earlier politeness and humility.
Even before this, he had already looked into the couple’s situation. To ensure their grandson could attend school, they would absolutely buy this apartment!
The selling price... of course, would be one million. As for whether they took out a loan or not, that wasn’t his concern.
"After this deal closes, we’ll make at least two hundred thousand!" Lin Zhen took a deep breath, his expression somewhat agitated.
The elderly couple would pay one million. Qin Mu would receive 750,000. They would net 250,000. Of course, another 50,000 would need to be distributed to various parties; only the remainder would be theirs. These were all established customs in the industry. As long as they handled it well, both buyer and seller would be perfectly happy.