Chapter 132 Strategy

When faced with the same problem...

Everyone's life experiences, economic levels, and mindsets differ, leading to vastly different decisions.

It's not a matter of which is better or worse; it's simply a person's thinking habits.

Wang Xiuyuan had clearly not yet fully adapted to the life of the wealthy, so when considering problems, he still relied on his old thinking habits to find solutions.

Take the treasure hunt in Hoxne Village, for example. He was certain the treasure was buried underground, and the homeowner had no idea.

How to handle the homeowner was the crux of the issue, but the attention of Wang Xiuyuan and the Bodyguards remained on the homeowner himself rather than the house and the treasure.

In their way of thinking, using money to solve a problem was never the optimal solution, so the first methods they thought of were either killing the homeowner or kidnapping him.

If the filthy rich Arab tycoons were to handle this, they would 100% just throw a massive check at the homeowner and say:

"Take this money and get out of my house immediately."

Faced with the temptation of a massive amount of cash, most people cannot resist.

Take the famous Rockefeller Family, for instance. Because the Japanese Mitsubishi Group offered a high enough price, the Rockefeller Family sold even their iconic asset, Rockefeller Center.

Family honor or not, as long as the money is right, nothing is off-limits for sale.

If there is something money can't buy, it only means your price isn't high enough.

In fact, the Mitsubishi Group certainly paid enough; in 1989, they spent 1.4 billion dollars to buy Rockefeller Center.

But when the Japanese economic bubble burst, the Rockefeller Family bought Rockefeller Center back from the Mitsubishi Group in 1996 for only 1.1 billion dollars.

In eight years, without even counting inflation, the asset value shrank by 300 million dollars. One can see how generous the Mitsubishi Group's price had been.

Wang Xiuyuan leisurely tasted the Assam Milk Tea. Although this tea had a unique flavor, he wasn't used to it.

This characteristic British black tea is brewed from tea leaves originally from Assam in northeastern India; after brewing with boiling water, milk must be added.

Accustomed to drinking Chinese black tea, Wang Xiuyuan really couldn't accept this kind of milk tea. In his eyes, this way of drinking was no different from adding diced pineapple to stir-fried eggs and tomatoes.

But to obtain that priceless treasure beneath the lawn, Wang Xiuyuan still smiled and put on a show of great enjoyment.

"Mr. Rouse, are there any other houses like yours for sale in Hoxne Village?

After seeing your home, I'm very interested. I'd love to own a house like this.

It's just like the house described in the French writer George Sand's literary work 'The Pastoral Trilogy.' It completely fulfills all my fantasies of a quiet, pastoral life."

The homeowner, Eric Rouse, held his teacup and thought carefully.

"Not for the moment, it seems. There are only about sixty households in our village. One family did move here last year, but that house doesn't have a traditional thatched roof like mine.

The families with houses like mine don't seem to have any intention of selling. You might be disappointed on that front."

That being said, Wang Xiuyuan wasn't about to be disappointed, because he didn't care at all if anyone else planned to sell. His real target was sitting right across from him.

Wang Xiuyuan feigned surprise and asked, "Oh? What's the approximate price range for houses in this village now? I mean, for a house like yours—how much should I prepare for something of a similar size?"

"The house itself isn't expensive. This is the countryside, after all; transportation, shopping, medical care, and education aren't very convenient.

A house similar to mine would cost about a hundred thousand pounds, certainly not more than a hundred and twenty thousand.

What's truly expensive in the countryside is the arable land. Our Hoxne Village is considered a rural area with a relatively good location, so land prices are slightly higher than in other places, though they can't compare to the areas around London.

But an acre of land still costs about three hundred and fifty to four hundred pounds to buy.

To live in the country, you must have a large plot of land. Without land, you might as well buy a house in the suburbs or live in an apartment in the city center."

The homeowner, Eric Rouse, was definitely a kind and honest man. Whatever Wang Xiuyuan asked, Eric Rouse told him everything he knew without reservation.

This was precisely where Wang Xiuyuan's craftiness lay.

I plan to buy your house, and you told me the price yourself. Now, how can you find an excuse to haggle?

This also saved Wang Xiuyuan a lot of trouble in the subsequent negotiation phase.

As a professional real estate marketing person, conducting undercover visits to competitors to understand their products and pricing strategies was basic work.

Wang Xiuyuan was incredibly familiar with doing such things; at the very least, the homeowner Eric Rouse had revealed everything to him without any guard up.

Although Wang Xiuyuan had always worked for real estate developers, he had personally handled buying and selling houses several times.

Wang Xiuyuan's method for finding the true market value of his own house was simple: he would disguise himself as a customer looking to buy a second-hand home and go directly to the real estate agencies downstairs to inquire.

The price of a house with the same layout and on a similar floor would be clear at a glance.

To raise the buyer's price expectations, the agents would praise the advantages of the house being viewed. This gave Wang Xiuyuan a good idea of how competitive the house he planned to sell would be.

By listing it at the price the agents mentioned, the actual market price would be slightly lower than that.

The method for finding the true price of a target house when buying a second-hand home was the same, just with the operation reversed.

He would disguise himself as an owner needing to sell and go to the agencies to inquire about selling. To lower the listing and expected transaction prices, the agents would find all sorts of faults with the house.

Any problems or hidden risks with the house would become clear immediately, and the true transaction price would be easy to estimate—it would be just slightly higher than the price the agents quoted.

This was the wisdom gained from Wang Xiuyuan's ten-plus years in the industry.

"How does it feel living here alone, Mr. Rouse? Have you ever considered selling the house and land here and moving to the city to reunite with your children?

A home is where your loved ones are, don't you think, Mr. Rouse?"

Having gathered all the information he wanted, Wang Xiuyuan saw no need to keep beating around the bush with Eric and directly proposed his idea of buying the house.

But the way Wang Xiuyuan phrased his question was very clever...

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