Darkstone Code
Chapter 160 - 0159 Low-Cost Apartment Plan

Chapter 160: 0159 Low-Cost Apartment Plan

The three of them had arranged to meet at a lakeside villa. In the outskirts of Sabin City, there is a huge natural lake. A few years ago, a real estate developer took a fancy to the beautiful scenery and development potential there. After purchasing a section of land facing the sun, they built a high-end villa district around the lake.

Initially, the real estate developer did not plan to sell off a large portion of their resources. In the past few years, the value of the lakeside villas had only been increasing due to their environment and neighboring features.

Some were sold at relatively reasonable prices as favors to a few notable figures, while the rest were retained in his hands, waiting for property prices to gradually rise.

Meanwhile, he also rented out these vacant villas to the public, under the slogan "Spend holidays with your family boating on the lake, close to nature." Some of the villas were turned into short-term rental housing, provided for wealthy Middle-Class families who ventured outdoors for outings.

Undoubtedly, this real estate developer had a very keen insight. During those years of beautiful scenery, the area was almost crowded with people every weekend. Around the villa district, a fast-paced economic atmosphere naturally emerged.

Some food trucks would start gathering here from Thursdays, offering cheap delicacies or renting out outdoor barbecue equipment and materials to people enjoying their weekend here.

But now...

Some remnants of paper scraps and adhesives could still be seen clinging to the walls, and occasionally, faded white flags still stuck out from the crowns of trees.

The sense of desolation pervaded the entire area after being abandoned, with no one visible on the streets. Even those houses that had been sold seemed particularly rundown from a distance due to lack of maintenance.

At the entrance booth sat a security guard who appeared to be in his forties or fifties, hair already turning gray, dozing off without hearing the sound of the car engine.

Undoubtedly, this place was done for. This villa district, once praised as a purchase that could sustain three generations, was dead.

The driver honked the horn a few times, startling the security guard awake. He sprang up to look around, only remembering his job when his gaze landed on the car outside the gate.

The barrier rose, and the car slowly drove in. The urge to sleep overcame him again, and he once again sank into a heavy slumber.

"You are here earlier than I expected!"

When Lynch knocked on the door of villa number "006," Jogriman immediately came out to greet him. Possibly because he had tidied up a bit, the villa looked less lifeless and more warmly vibrant.

This was Jogriman’s own villa. As the head of bank loan businesses, he maintained a good relationship with these real estate developers. And today, the person Lynch was to discuss land with was the developer of this plot, so they chose such a place.

On one hand, they wanted to show Lynch their strength, and on the other hand, they wanted to elicit some sympathy, which was not contradictory.

Lynch smiled, shook hands with Jogriman, and walked into the room.

The layout of the entire house was quite good, spacious and bright, with very sufficient lighting. When sunlight pierced through those parted coverings into the room, it gave a resplendent impression.

Of course, there were some shading devices outside. During summer, like now, they served their purpose by blocking sunlight from coming in, yet the room remained very bright.

"What would you like to drink?" Jogriman asked as he walked over to the bar.

Casually observing his surroundings, Lynch replied, "Coffee."

Since there was still business to discuss later, he thought it wasn’t the right time to drink alcohol. Jogriman quickly made him a cup of coffee and softly explained, "I don’t use a coffee grinder, so this is instant coffee powder. I hope that’s okay."

Coffee powder refers to pre-made coffee bags, whose quality isn’t easy to control. Some people notice that instant coffee brewed this way isn’t pure and sometimes has a distinct sour or bitter taste due to improper roasting.

Lynch nodded indifferently, not here to savor coffee; after sitting down and waiting for a few seconds, Jogriman began introducing the buyer.

This buyer, currently a real estate developer, had lost quite a bit of money recently. He had found a new project, one that wouldn’t bring quick profits but was stable, attracting considerable interest.

Indeed, many funds in the Federation were like headless flies, roaming everywhere searching for reliable projects to weather the economic downturn safely.

Sometimes, just presenting a proposal could quickly attract the attention of capital.

This also resulted in an increase in scammers on the market, including a small Fox’s alumni, who were essentially swindlers as well.

Using a lousy script, they sought investments everywhere, claiming that if people invested, they’d double their profits. It seemed a foolish way to deceive, yet many fell for it.

Time passed swiftly in silence. About ten minutes later, a middle-aged man, looking around thirty-eight or thirty-nine to about forty, walked in laughing from outside.

He had an ordinary build, not heavyset, but his shoulders were wide. His face resembled those hero characters in films, with a standard "honest face."

Meticulous hair and a few but exquisite accessories made him quite a particular fellow.

"Hart, nice to meet you, Mr. Lynch!" Before Jogriman could introduce them, Mr. Hart introduced himself and firmly shook hands with Lynch.

"Lynch, nice to meet you too, Mr. Hart!" Lynch wore a smile and maintained the same enthusiasm. If Jogriman didn’t know it was their first meeting, he would have thought they were old friends reuniting after a long period.

After releasing hands, they sat down separately. Jogriman went to get a cup and some wine for Hart since he was the host of the house and naturally needed to serve.

The two started chatting freely about the current situation in Sabin City, and it was hard not to mention the poor economy.

As they spoke, Hart sighed lightly, a mix of melancholy and sentiment, "Mr. Lynch, you saw the situation outside when you came, right?"

From entering to sitting and speaking, Lynch had been observing him. Interestingly, Hart seemed not to be the least bit surprised by Lynch’s youth, nor was he dismissive because of it, which was intriguing.

Lynch nodded and agreed, "Indeed, it looks about to be abandoned."

Hart spoke bitterly about his failed investment. It wasn’t his fault; nobody could have predicted the current situation back then, even consortiums with numerous think tanks fell deep into the crisis.

"I now have a new plan and am very interested in that piece of land of yours. To be honest, I might not have that much cash available for now..." he was saying when Jogriman came over with a glass of wine to hand to him.

He thanked him, took a sip, and genuinely expressed, "I plan to acquire your land to develop a new residential area. The President’s Cabinet has passed a new bill this week encouraging developers across the country to build ’affordable apartments,’ offering corresponding policies and subsidies!"

This policy was indeed genuine. Considering the heavy economic pressure on Federation citizens, many families had reached a point where they had to sell houses to survive.

Once they lost their houses, these people would become wanderers, homeless.

Not only would their safety be compromised, but the whole society would also become insecure with many homeless people appearing on the streets.

When people began to resent and loathe their current circumstances, some might easily resort to crime.

Recognizing this issue, experts from the President’s Cabinet, the Conservative Party, the Progressive Party, and the Socialist Party believed the economic downturn would persist for a significant period. Before finding a solution, the first thing to do was ensure every citizen’s rights, and building affordable apartments for such individuals emerged as a viable solution.

Research and surveys showed that when a family at least owned a temporary personal space immune to external intrusion, their social stability would greatly improve.

Real estate developers building affordable apartments would be exempt from all land usage fees, completely tax-free, with additional tax exemptions and a series of policy supports, including long-term government financial subsidies.

More importantly, various standards for these affordable apartments would be appropriately relaxed, such as per capita space, allowing for the construction of one and a half to even two apartments in a space initially meant for just one.

The government would also cover a part of the tenants’ rent and fees; packing more families into less space could yield more subsidies, making it a profitable venture.

At least for now, it was a business worth pursuing. There was no need to worry about losing money; even if the profits were slow, as long as it was profitable, who cared about the pace?

Lynch nodded occasionally. Indeed, it was a good business, and with cooperation from local governments, some people, including street homeless individuals, might live in such affordable apartments.

Moreover, Mr. Hart didn’t need to sell his houses, merely renting them out. Once the economy improved, and land prices and houses rebounded, the residents, who lived in those apartments for at least four or five years, would likely be willing to purchase them.

It was a promising project, but the flaw was Hart’s lack of funds. Hence, he planned to negotiate the deal using other methods.

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