After leaving Los Angeles Airport, Dai Li hailed a taxi and went to the reserved hotel.
The urban area of Los Angeles is still the same as it was a few years ago, with no changes at all, which made Dai Li feel a familiar smell.
This is what American cities are like. The size of their cities will continue to expand in the form of blocks, but the urban areas themselves will not change much. The model of demolition, construction, and demolition is rare in the United States. In cities like New York and Chicago, buildings dating from fifty, sixty, or even hundreds of years are everywhere. For example, New York Grand Central Station has remained the same for more than a hundred years, so many people feel that major cities in the United States are lagging behind in terms of infrastructure.
The situation in downtown Los Angeles is similar. Although it is very prosperous, it is pretty much the same every year, and there is no change.
After entering the hotel, Dai Li went to the bank and cashed a check for US$1.5 million. This was given to Dai Li by Xiao Yunan. It was Xiao Yunan's personal money saved while studying in the United States. In addition, Dai Li also had a start-up capital of US$800,000. This was mainly because Dai Li helped Duke Gale and others in Europe. The reward one earns from recovery.
Dai Li plans to open a training gym in Los Angeles. The sports industry in the United States is very developed, and people also love sports. There are many similar sports training halls in the United States. There are specialized physical training halls, and there are also training halls for specific sports, such as boxing. gymnasium, gymnasium, swimming pool, etc. Some of them are non-profit and some are for-profit.
Dai Li is naturally not a philanthropist. He wants to open a profit-making training center, which is equivalent to starting a small business. The application procedures are not complicated, and it is very easy if there is a professional lawyer to help. Dai Li didn't mind spending a little more on legal fees. After all, if it was handled by professionals, it would save him a lot of worries.
To declare a business, it must have a production and business location, so before that, the first thing Li Dai had to do was to find a suitable business location, that is, a business location to open a training gym.
Dai Li only has more than two million US dollars, which is not enough to buy a suitable training venue. Buying land for construction would be more expensive, and he can't afford it. Dai Li also wanted to keep some money for operating capital, so Dai Li could only choose to rent a venue.
The real estate market in Los Angeles has always been relatively prosperous, which has also supported a large number of real estate agents. Dai Li found a few real estate agents, left his email address, and returned to the hotel with peace of mind. He knew these properties The agent will soon send the information to himself.
Sure enough, in the next three days, Li Dailu received more than a dozen emails one after another, all of which were housing information from real estate agents.
"This used to be a training hall, but the asking price was too high. If I rented it, I wouldn't have much liquidity on hand."
"The usable area of this one is too small. It's okay to open a gym, but it's definitely not enough to open a physical training center. Oh, the introduction said that this is originally a training hall."
"This gym is big enough, but the location is not good. It's too remote, and there are also Mexican gathering areas around. I heard that there are many illegal immigrants, and the security may not be good."
"The location is good and the price is right. However, it used to be a hardware supermarket and needs to be renovated. This will cost a lot of money. Adding fitness equipment will cost another money. It is not worth it."
"This is a swimming pool, and there is a ten-meter diving platform. I am just starting out now, and it seems that there is no use in having a swimming pool."
"Hey, this is not bad. Well, the landlord requires a minimum rent of five years. Let's forget it. It's too long. In five years, I might have moved to a better place."
Dai Li browsed emails one by one and carefully screened the information sent by the real estate agency.
Finally one of the emails attracted Dai Li.
"This is very suitable. The location is very good. There are no slums around. Most of them are neighborhoods where the middle class lives. There is a university not far away. This venue was originally a medium-sized gymnastics hall. The indoor area is very large and there are There is a fitness room with a lot of fitness equipment, which I can use. As for the price... there is no price tag? What do you mean? "
Dai Li frowned slightly. These real estate agencies in the United States are relatively professional and introduce the lease in more detail, such as the price, the minimum rental time required by the landlord, how much deposit is required, whether modifications can be carried out, etc. are all written down. It was clear. It seemed like there was no price listed. This was the first time Dai Li had encountered it.
"I've seen the qualification certificate of this real estate agency. It should be more professional and reliable. But why is there no price?" Li Dai hesitated for a moment, then dialed the real estate agency's number.
After explaining his purpose, the real estate agent immediately explained.
"Mr. Li, it's like this. The venue you're looking for is quite special. It's not private. It's owned by a bank. Previously, this was a gymnastics hall, but not long ago, a scandal broke out in the American gymnastics world. , and the operator of this gymnastics gym was also accused. He went bankrupt and faced a lawsuit, so during the bankruptcy liquidation, the gymnastics gym was taken away by the bank."
"So that's it." Dai Li nodded. He had also heard a little bit about the recent scandal in the American gymnastics world.
At the beginning, a gymnast of the U.S. national team complained on social media that she was molested by the team doctor. Later, the American media began to investigate and found that this was not a single incident. Hundreds of gymnasts across the United States had been molested by their coaches. , gymnastics gym owners, and other gymnastics gym staff were sexually assaulted or sexually harassed. More importantly, these gymnasts are all minors.
This suddenly stirred up a hornet's nest. It was hailed as the biggest scandal in the history of American gymnastics, and it rose to the level of a moral crime. More than 3,000 gymnastics gyms in the United States are under the management of the USA Gymnastics Association. Even the United States The president of the Gymnastics Association was forced to resign as a result.
Just listen to the real estate agent continue to say: "The original owner of this gymnastics gym planned to sell the gymnastics gym to pay off the debt, but no one bought it. Later, after the gymnastics gymnasium was taken away by the bank, it was auctioned three times, but in the end all failed. ”
"Why? Is the price too high?" Dai Li asked.
"Yes, in my opinion, the price is a bit high. The original gymnastics boss owed too much debt, and he will be sued and imprisoned for several years. Even if he reorganizes his assets after bankruptcy, he will not be able to recover in a short time. It is impossible to repay the debt, so the bank hopes to recover losses as much as possible, so the auction price is relatively high." The intermediary continued.
"Then why not sell it a little cheaper?" Dai Li continued to ask.
"In recent years, California has attracted many foreign immigrants, many of whom are wealthy, which has also pushed up housing prices throughout California. Moreover, this gymnasium is in a good location and should be favored by foreign investors. , so the bank is unwilling to sell it at a low price." The intermediary continued.
"It's too cheap to sell it, but it's too expensive to sell it, so the bank plans to try to rent out the gymnasium first. What about the price? If the bank really wants to rent it out, why doesn't it mark the price?" Li Dai then asked.
"This is exactly the reason I want to explain to you. In fact, the bank has offered two prices. One is the price for direct rental. I personally think it is more expensive and is not cost-effective at all; the other is a relatively low price. Rent, but there are additional conditions. Because of this, I did not attach a specific price." The real estate agent said.
"Are there any additional conditions? Are they more stringent?" Dai Li asked with a frown.
"I don't know how to evaluate this additional condition." The real estate agent paused and then said; "The bank said that if this venue continues to be used as a sports training venue, the new venue operator will need to bear 10 to 100 yuan for free. For the training of 15 disabled athletes, you can enjoy a more preferential rent. Otherwise, you can only pay the original rent."
"Why are there such strange conditions? Are you still responsible for training disabled athletes?" Dai Li looked puzzled.
"Well, I'm not inconvenient to disclose it. In fact, I took this business because I have a lot of business dealings with this bank. If Mr. Li is interested in this venue, I can ask someone from the bank to come out and talk to him. You have an interview, and you can communicate with each other face to face about this additional condition." The real estate agent said.
…
The next evening after get off work, Dai Li came to a nearby cafe.
"Mr. Li, this is Mr. Anthony, the city councilor." The intermediary introduced him.
"City Councilor?" Dai Li looked at the real estate agent with a puzzled face. He came here to meet with people from the bank, but the agent introduced him to a Los Angeles City Councilor.
The real estate agent next to him explained: "That's right, Mr. Anthony is the head of that bank in Los Angeles, and he also successfully ran for the Los Angeles City Council last year."
The agent did not stay at the cafe after the introduction last night, but found an excuse to leave, leaving Anthony and Li Dai alone.
"Mr. Li, I think you must be curious as to why I issued such strange lease conditions?" Anthony asked directly.
"Yes, that's why I came here." Li Dai nodded, and then said: "To be honest, I plan to use this venue to open a physical training gym. I am also capable of the additional conditions you proposed. It does, but I want to know why?”
"Actually, the reason is very simple, but it's not easy to explain to the outside world." Anthony looked around, lowered his voice, and continued: "When I ran for city councilor last year, I made a promise to the voters that I would strengthen I later elected to care for people with disabilities, so I naturally have to fulfill my campaign promise.”
“Not long ago, several amateur athletes with disabilities came to me. They told me that they wanted to get professional sports training. However, most of the coaches provided by the Disability Protection Center were low-level volunteers and could not meet their training requirements. The requirements for a high-level professional training hall are beyond their reach. That’s why I thought of the additional conditions for renting this venue.”
"However, it is not convenient to make this matter public. After all, this venue is an asset of the bank. Although I, as the person in charge of the bank, have the right to decide the final amount of rent, if I lower the rent without authorization, I will actually be paying a certain amount of rent. It has harmed the interests of the bank to a certain extent. This is tantamount to using the authority in my hands to fulfill my personal campaign promises."
When Anthony said this, he smiled strangely and showed a "you understand" expression.
Opposite him, Dai Li also nodded and smiled, indicating that he understood what Anthony meant. He is not like many so-called public intellectuals who always preach how clean European and American countries are.
In fact, it is not new for foreign politicians to use their power or resources to seek interests, and it is even a tacitly accepted behavior. However, the so-called interests here are not necessarily expressed in the form of money. For example, if you use the power and resources in your hands to help yourself be re-elected, help your campaign sponsors, or suppress political opponents, although you don't get a penny from it, you are still seeking benefits.
Just like the American TV series "House of Cards", there are many people in it who are good at "using power". Some of the exchanges of interests they make are not noble at all, and can even be described as "despicable and dirty". In fact, this is more like an unspoken rule in European and American countries. Every politician is like this, more or less seeking their own interests and exchanging interests with others. Frankly speaking, this is politics, and the whole world is pretty much the same routine. If one were truly pure like the Virgin, it would be impossible to become a politician. It's like a sheep that can never blend into a pack of wolves.
Anthony's behavior is the same now, but it pales in comparison to "House of Cards."
Dai Li doesn't care whether Anthony is using his power for personal gain, nor does he care whether the bank will suffer losses. What he cares about is the rental price of the training hall, which is related to Dai Li's vital interests.
So Li Dai asked: "Mr. Anthony, if I am willing to accept this additional condition, how much discount can you give me in terms of rent?"
"These." Anthony took out a pen, then wrote a number on the napkin in front of him, and showed it to Dai Li.
Seeing this figure, Dai Li was actually tempted. This was a very cost-effective figure. At this price, such a suitable venue could no longer be rented in Los Angeles.
But Li Dai did not agree, but deliberately frowned, as if he was not satisfied with this.
"Mr. Anthony, the training of disabled athletes is different from that of ordinary people. It requires very high professional skills. If a disabled athlete trains with me for four hours a week, then what you proposed is based on the minimum ten people. I have to put in an extra 40 hours of work every week, which is already the weekly working hours stipulated by law. This is equivalent to me needing to hire an extra coach for this purpose." Dai Li talked about it.
Dai Li's words obviously hit the key point. In the United States, the most valuable thing is people!
Energy prices in the United States are not expensive, land prices are not expensive, and although taxes are not low, there are no additional arbitrary charges. Therefore, the cost of human resources has become the largest expense. Americans have high wages. The per capita salary of more than 56,000 US dollars is definitely among the top five in the world. The United States has very sound labor protection. When hiring a formal employee, in addition to paying wages, the company must also pay various insurances for exceeding the working hours. Overtime pay is essential. Counting other statutory benefits, the cost of hiring people is actually very high.
Therefore, for small businesses in the United States, hiring one more person is actually quite costly, and they cannot afford the cost. What's more, the physical coach is not a bricklayer and needs professional skills. In the United States, the salary of anyone who has a skill and can be called a professional in a certain industry will not be lower than the average.
Anthony knew that Dai Li said all this just to lower the rent. He hesitated, wrote another number on the napkin, and then showed it in front of Dai Li.
"This is the lowest price I can offer. After all, this training facility is the bank's asset. If the rental price is too low, I can't explain it to the bank." Anthony said solemnly.
Dai Li didn't believe Anthony's nonsense. He guessed that this would definitely not be Anthony's bottom line. But Li Dai did not choose to continue to lower the price. Firstly, with the price, Li Dai was already extremely satisfied. Secondly, Anthony's identity as a Los Angeles City Council member made Li Dai not want to do things too far and leave a little room for it. If so, it might be beneficial to both parties.
"Deal!" Li Dai stretched out his right hand and said.