Pushing the door open, they entered a tidy interior with a tasteful decoration style.
Sofa, TV, living room, tables, and stools - everything one could need in an apartment, which also had two floors and came with an attached garage.
Pike, the owner, showed the two around, introducing everything on both floors. "This is the house I used to live in. At that time, I didn’t have much money and could only live here with my family until my business started doing better. Once I had the means, I moved out with my family. Afterwards, I had it refurbished, but I hardly ever came back to stay here. It’s been vacant most of the time, only occasionally having someone come over to clean. It’s a quiet environment, suitable for living."
He couldn’t help feeling nostalgic, remembering the early days of entrepreneurship when each day brought improvement. Yet, unpredictably, he now faced such a crisis and had gone back to square one.
"If this place means so much to you, why don’t you keep it for yourself to live in?" Zorro asked.
"Because I need money," Pike answered helplessly, and added, "Besides, I’m planning to take my family and leave Los Angeles to live in another city."
"Leave Los Angeles? What about your company?" Allen Zhang inquired.
Pike sighed: "I hardly slept from yesterday to today. I was still undecided about whether to put my company up for consignment auction, thinking of liquidating assets to cover the debts. But unexpectedly, the auction house processed my documents and informed me that it could go up for auction tomorrow. Now, I can only hope that someone will take over my business and prevent it from going unsold; otherwise, I would really lose everything."
If the company was auctioned off, the debts and troubles would become someone else’s, leaving him debt-free with tens of millions in savings, enough for a carefree life for the rest of his days.
Should the company fail to sell and the bank continued to press for debts, liquidating his assets to cover them, and also to pay off the employees’ wages he owed, he would be left with nothing but a shell of a broken company and no certainty of making a comeback.
He might as well jump off a building and declare personal bankruptcy.
"Coincidentally, I am actually quite interested in your company. Perhaps I’ll attend the auction tomorrow and try to bid for it," Allen Zhang couldn’t bear to see Pike struggling on the streets - after all, the General Sect Leader had a kind heart.
"That would be wonderful," Pike was surprised and pleased.
"I’ve listed this apartment online for 455,000 US dollars. If you’re willing to buy it, I can sell it to you for 420,000 dollars," Pike actively pitched the sale.
Allen Zhang took another look around and felt the price was acceptable. It was basically the high-end price for Zone 5. He immediately nodded and agreed, "Okay. I can pay the full amount right now."
Without hesitation, Pike took out the transfer document, the contract, and the property deed from his briefcase and prepared to sign. After checking that everything was in order, Allen Zhang also signed and transferred 450,000 US dollars to Pike’s personal account.
Of course, the transaction went through the Hanberger Foundation’s channels; after all, it offered some tax deductions and made it more convenient to transfer and reward employees.
For a regular home purchase, one would have to pay a property tax of 0.5%-1.25%, but investing in property in the name of a foundation only required paying a California property tax of 0.2%, which was 8,400 US dollars.
"We can now go to the sea-view villa in New Port to have a look." Having delivered the room keys and receiving a text message confirming the deposit, Pike was in a good mood and wanted to close the deal quickly.
Allen Zhang had no objections either. They left the community, got into the Jeep, searched for the navigation coordinates, and let Zorro drive towards the sea-view villa area in Southern Los Angeles.
With its advantageous location, pleasant climate, prime position, and villas by the sea. Just outside, one could see golden beaches and palm trees. One could go sailing in a private yacht, with roads connecting to the city center and the highway, complete with full amenities.
Allen Zhang parked by the sea-view villa, took a look at the complex, recalling the last time he went to a sea-view villa when he was taking Shadi’s distant cousin, from whom he ended up getting a Lamborghini for free. Now, it looked like he was going to move into the sea-view villa community himself.
Owner Pike got out of the car and led the two to villa number 12, unlocked the anti-theft door, and inside, they saw the luxurious decoration, a swimming pool, and a garage.
There was also a private helipad in the backyard, an airplane highway for takeoffs and landings, as well as hangar facilities.
A personal kayak was moored in the harbor, not too expensive, and came as a bonus with the villa purchase. It was mainly suitable for driving only in the gulf stream near the shore. If one wanted to travel by sea, it would be more reliable to have a private yacht. If one pursued speed and comfort, the selling price would usually be above a million US dollars.
The sea-view villa had 8 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. If there was anything it didn’t lack, it was plenty of rooms and bathrooms.
With thousands of square meters in floor area, the community had a total of 48 detached villas, each separated by a hundred meters, ensuring privacy. It’s fair to say that high-end facilities were all available.
In the harbor, there were ferries and other owners’ private yachts moored, close to Southern Port. During the day, one could watch whales going out to sea, and at night, fall asleep to the sound of the waves.
Allen Zhang looked around and felt that the villa was pretty good. Although the location was a bit off, not only was the site large, but it was also luxurious.