Wealthy Women Series I Part 2: How Zhang Chunchun started her Property Empire

Looking through 200 houses in 45 days is no joke. Yet, Zhang Chunchun’s father told her not to be too impulsive, so he held her chequebook with him until she had seen 200 houses.

The first house she saw was great. It had everything she wanted, and the best thing was it had a Panic Room, the same type of feature in the movie starring Jodie Foster. However, she could not buy the house because she did not have her chequebook with her, so she had to continue her search.

After she had looked through 200 houses, she felt she still liked the first house the most. However, when she went back to ask about it, the agent told her that the house was sold 3 days after her visit.

However, what she gained from this massive house hunting exercise were valuable tips on how to choose a house. She focused on houses that were between 10-20 years old as they had the potential to increase in value.

To really know a place well, you need to know the neighbours. You wouldn’t want a neighbour who stacks a lot of things outside the house. It is a fire hazard and it means they are very messy. You can find out about this by taking the staircase rather than taking the lift.

At the same time, if the neighbour is so neat, where everything is nicely put and nothing is out of place, you might want to rethink. They could be very difficult to live with, and they may constantly pester you to keep your things, or may complain when you make too much noise, invite people over, forbid you to keep dogs, or forbid you to throw your rubbish in certain ways or even forbid you to receive new appliances at certain time of the day and week.

Moreover, you should visit the place at least at two different timing, and on different days. One particular house was fantastic when she visited it in the day. It was near shops, but it was on the quiet side, so it had the best of both worlds.

However, when she went there around midnight, she realised to her horror that an old man’s truck blocked the access at the back. It certainly did not appear that it was only for that night. In addition, people were playing mahjong then. This would certainly disrupt other families’ sleep. As a result, she chose not to buy the house.

There were times she was nearly cheated, so read on to find out more. This is the second instalment out of 5. The next instalment will be published tomorrow at 8pm.
Read Part 1 here.