: Picking Up a Bargain?

Chapter 42: Picking Up a Bargain?

The next morning, Ethan went to a real estate agency in San Francisco and asked them to help him find a house.

His requirements were very simple: he didn't have high demands regarding the size of the space, as long as it didn't violate normal living habits; and in terms of location, he wanted Palo Alto, where Stanford is located, as the center, radiating outwards.

To the north, Redwood City serves as the boundary; to the south, it extends to Cupertino; and to the east, it goes as far as Sunnyvale. As for the west? Although Palo Alto's western side boasts beautiful scenery with its mountains and water, that's all thanks to its historical landmarks and nature reserves.

In fact, Ethan had been thinking about moving for a while.

Although he had always felt quite comfortable living with Thomas and Linda.

However, he also had to admit that living under the same roof with several people did indeed have many inconveniences.

Take the time he stayed up all night making the motherboard for "Snake" for example. As a young man, his schedule sometimes clashed with Thomas's. This time, Thomas's continued friendships also clashed with their life philosophies. So, moving out to live alone is just a matter of time.

As for buying or renting, he actually prefers the former, because the area he's targeting is Silicon Valley.

In a few years, housing prices here will skyrocket, with prices changing every year. Buying a house now would be like getting a bargain.

Although this appreciation will certainly not be as high as the investment return, and may even be the least cost-effective deal for time travelers, finding a bargain is still very rewarding. Spending hundreds of millions to buy a villa is a normal operation, but if you spend tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands to find a villa, you will be overjoyed.

Of course, although it's called moving, the geographical distance isn't that far. The furthest place Linda and Thomas live in Los Gatos is only twelve miles away from the places Ethan chose, which is only a half-hour drive. It's very convenient for them to meet up, and if there's an emergency, they can get there quickly by stepping on the gas.

Perhaps it was because the economy wasn't doing so well these days, or perhaps it was because money talks, but Ethan placed the order on the 21st, and on the morning of the 23rd, a well-dressed real estate agent had already appeared in front of him.

"Mr. Jones, based on your needs, we have found three houses for sale for you."

The young agent took out the documents, pushed them in front of Ethan, and introduced them with a smile:

"These three houses for sale are located in Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Cupertino."

"Of these, the house in Los Altos has the largest area. It is a lakeside villa, a small three-story house with a living area of ​​5,400 square feet. In addition, there is a basement of about 400 square feet and a garden parking lot of nearly 800 square feet. The owner has listed the house for $120,000."

"The second largest house is located in Palo Alto. It's a two-story house with no basement or garden, but it has a 620-square-foot garage. The living area on the first floor is 200 square feet larger than the garage, and the second floor is the sum of the garage and the ground floor. The price is $100,000."

"The smallest of the three houses is in Cupertino, a single-family home on the street. It has a living area of ​​1,700 square feet, plus a 440-square-foot garage and a basement storage room of less than 200 square feet. Because it is the smallest, it is also the cheapest, costing only $70,000."

With the white real estate agent's detailed explanation, Ethan also learned about the condition of each house.

While he was flipping through the documents, Mr. Foberle, who had come over to watch the spectacle, also became very interested.

With his hands in his pockets, he glanced at the documents and asked the question that had been bothering him, "Wait a minute, brother, the house in Palo Alto you just introduced should only have a usable area of ​​2,260 square feet, right? Compared to the house in Los Altos, it's only half the size, but why isn't the price halved? It's just a difference of 20,000 US dollars?"

To this question, the agent smiled and replied, "Sir, the answer is actually quite simple. The villa in Palo Alto is right next to Stanford and very close to Hewlett-Packard."

He also explained, "The houses there are all in high demand. As soon as one becomes available, it is quickly snapped up by HP engineers or Stanford professors. So it's normal for homeowners to list their properties at a higher price."

"Oh~" Frank understood, "Isn't this just ripping people off?"

"..."

The agent's face stiffened, but he just smiled and didn't answer.

Ethan, however, didn't think there was any problem. After all, when it comes to houses, it's not just about the house itself, but also the location.

So he smiled and defused the situation, saying, "Frank, which of these three houses do you think is the best?"

"Of course I prefer the Los Altos set!"

Mr. Foberle answered quickly, "That's a lakeside villa! Just imagine, on a summer evening, inviting a bunch of friends, having a bonfire party by the lake, playing guitar and singing, enjoying the moonlight while fishing—it wouldn't be amazing!"

"It would be even better if we could invite some bikini-clad girls!"

Before Ethan could speak, the agent's lips twitched.

"Sir, the freshwater lake next to that villa in Los Altos is a no-fishing zone."

"Oh, never mind then. It's no fun living by the lake if you can't fish."

Mr. Foberle's expression changed instantly.

"Ethan, I strongly advise you not to choose this house. The property tax in California is 1.25%. For a house worth $120,000, the tax alone will be $1,500. Meanwhile, the interest rate on bank deposits is rising every year. Soon, $120,000 will be worth $12,000 after a year! And houses in these places can appreciate by 10% after a year? I don't believe it."

"Furthermore, why wasn't this no-fishing zone mentioned in advance?"

"Trying to hide the flaws, huh?"

The agent pursed his lips at the sharp words.

At that moment, he even suspected that Frank, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, was a spy sent by the enemy.

Ethan smiled and closed the document. Although Mr. Forberle had angered him several times before, he had to admit that what he said this time was quite right. When buying a house, the real estate agent, as the seller, would definitely want to present a perfect picture and cover up the flaws. At this time, if the buyer cannot keep his eyes open, he will most likely fall into the trap set by the other party.

"Oh Frank, thanks for the suggestion, but I still think I need to go and see it for myself," Ethan said with a smile.

"Whatever you want." Frank shrugged, then asked, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Sure," Ethan said with a smile, "if you have time."

For Ethan, taking a scoundrel like Frank to see houses was the perfect thing.

The real estate agent who introduced him to the apartment was rather uncomfortable.

Because he always felt that the process of looking at houses might not be too simple.

Sure enough, when he brought Ethan and Frank to Palo Alto, Ethan, dissatisfied with the school villa, immediately winked at Frank. Although Frank was usually a bit unreliable, he understood perfectly and started ranting, "The owner dares to list this place for $100,000? Wow! Why doesn't he just rob someone?"

"Although this place is very close to Stanford University, what's the deal with that car rental company over there?"

"Don't you intermediaries know that car rental companies are among the most likely to cause noise pollution? You need to inspect the car when you rent it, and you need to check it again when you return it. During weekdays, it's bound to buzz around like flies!"

"..."

In no time at all, Frank had left Bai Jiezhong speechless.

After skipping that place, Ethan and his group went to the lakeside villa in Los Altos as their second destination.

This house is indeed very beautiful. Standing on the third-floor balcony, you can see the shimmering lake in front of you.

A gentle breeze carries the fragrance of flowers that soothes the soul.

However, because it was built near the lake, the environment here is quite humid.

So, after seeing Ethan shake his head, Frank added, "Won't you get sick living in this house for a long time?"

"Look at this wall! Some parts are dark, some are light!"

"Those in the know will understand it's a leak, but those who don't might think an abstract art master is painting here!"

"Would you dare live in a place like this? Aren't you worried that one day someone will steal this wall?"

"I've already thought of a name for the exhibition: 'A Vibrant Variety of White'~"

"? 』

The agent was quite annoyed by the troll-like behavior.

After some deliberation, Ethan and his companions went to Cupertino with the agent.

Compared to the previous two villas, the layout of this villa, or rather this townhouse, is indeed somewhat compact.

The garage design is also very American.

Standing at the doorway, you can see a rectangular opening that stretches out from the left side of the house.

The open design leaves Old Wang next door nowhere to hide, but at the same time, you have to admit that this design makes the gate next to the garage a private passage for visiting relatives and friends, because normal people will enter the house through the inner gate of the garage after getting out of the car, and no one will be bored enough to walk around to the front and enter the house through the gate.

Not only that, the house is also very old-fashioned. The original snow-white walls are now yellowed, and all kinds of utensils are made of wood. Perhaps due to years of use, many of the kitchen cabinets and cupboards have lost their handles, and the wardrobe doors in the bedroom have cracks.

This situation prompted Frank to ask in a low voice, "Bro, wanna spray?"

"! 』

This fact made the white intermediary's face tense.

Before Ethan could make a move, he nervously began to push the sale.

"Mr. Jones, although this house was built in 1920 and is now 55 years old, its overall structure is still quite good. A little renovation and it'll be ready to move in. Furthermore, Cupertino is a relatively new city, only officially established a little over a decade ago. As a newly formed city, everything here is developing rapidly. In the last ten years, brand-new roads have been paved, and a completely new living environment has been created. If all goes well, the property value here will increase rapidly in the coming years. More importantly, this is a predominantly white area, and most residents have legitimate jobs, resulting in a very low crime rate..."

Ethan nodded slightly as he listened to the long and detailed introduction.

To be honest, safety was his main concern when buying a house.

After a quick look, Ethan thought this place might not be so bad.

Although it looks a bit dilapidated, it can still be renovated.

But seventy thousand...

Close the door and let Frank out!

Ethan winked at Frank.

Frank, understanding his meaning, quickly said, "Brother, are you sure this place is worth seventy thousand?"

"Most of the furniture and interior decorations here are unusable! Buying it would require extensive renovations, which would cost several thousand dollars! If there are structural problems with the house, repairs could cost tens of thousands of dollars!"

As soon as Frank opened his mouth, Bai, the middleman, started to feel a headache coming on.

"Oh, sir," he said, "the selling point of this house is Cupertino!"

"We all come from San Francisco, and we should know that the land we're standing on right now, this vibrant land, is perhaps one of the safest places in California because it's far from Oakland..."

However, before the middleman could finish speaking, a muffled thud suddenly rang out.

Immediately afterwards, a roar rang out—

"Oh! You idiot! Roger! What do you mean by this?!"

The sudden commotion was like an invisible hand gripping the neck of the middleman.

Hearing the soaring sound, Bai Zhongjie felt phlegm in his throat, which he couldn't cough up or swallow.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he said with an embarrassed look, "Gentlemen, this was just an accident."

"Really?" Frank seized the opportunity. "This was an accident? Oh! Bro! Don't fool yourself!"

"I think that's why the homeowners here want to sell their properties, right?"

"Because it's too noisy!"

Before he could finish speaking, another roar rang out—

"MFxxk—Harry! Do you want to fight?"

Upon hearing these words, the white agent felt dizzy and swayed, almost fainting.

Ethan, with his arms crossed, really wanted to laugh.

Although he had always thought Mr. Forbes was somewhat crude and uncouth, now that he saw him...

This thing is pretty useful!

At least in terms of luck, there's something there.

Just as Ethan was pursing his lips, wondering if the white real estate agent would lower his price as Mr. Foberle had suggested,

A "click" sound entered their ears again.

Then came another angry roar—

"Li! Are you fucking crazy? You want to stand with them too?"

"Dxxn! John! Don't you believe us either?"

"We didn't break your things, and we couldn't possibly break them!"

"You watched us disassemble it that day! After we took it apart, we reassembled it and ran it again, and there were no problems!"

"This is a fact that everyone has witnessed!"

'???'

Although Ethan felt that the sudden argument was somewhat of a stroke of luck, as he listened, something seemed off. The roaring voice sounded so familiar...

Feeling something was amiss, he frowned and went to the window, then looked outside, and then...

Then it was his turn to go black.

Because the figure roaring downstairs was rather abstract.

Note: ① No housing price data for the Bay Area in 1975 could be found. The data is based on US housing price data from 1975, so the housing data in the book cannot be accurate. Also, it's worth mentioning that the way housing prices are calculated in the US is different from ours. They refer to the living area. For example, an unfurnished basement is not included in the living area, nor are garages and balconies included in the total area of ​​the house, but these factors do affect the housing price.

(End of this chapter)