The houses were cheap, only a little over 100,000 yuan for one.
The problem was, how many families could afford to buy one nowadays?
Forget 100,000 yuan; in an era where "ten-thousand-yuan households" were extremely rare, how many families could even come up with 10,000 yuan?
It was too difficult!
Not to mention this era, even thirty years later, many young people are still burdened with various credit loans, and having 10,000 yuan in net savings is quite difficult for them.
So, without family support, how many young people could come up with 100,000 in savings after just a few years of work?
The down payment for a house in a second-tier city also costs several hundred thousand yuan, and for most families, if they don't borrow money from relatives, friends, or banks, they similarly can't afford that down payment.
Having a house in the city, for young people, is a symbol of conquering their mother-in-law, a topic for parents to show off in front of neighbors and relatives, and a dream for countless families, but it is also a trap that binds one's life for twenty or thirty years, a damn thing that lowers the quality of life!
Young people who couldn't afford a house were rejected every time they went on a blind date; Fang Bai could imagine the longing and despair for a house in their eyes.
And those who had already bought and were diligently paying off their loans, silently struggled to survive, not necessarily living much better than before they bought.
Fang Bai had no ability to change the future housing situation; at most, he could address the housing problems of his company's employees, which was already a significant achievement.
On the third day, Fang Bai continued to look for a house, specifically near Jiao Tong University.
He felt that he had performed well in the college entrance examination and was confident he would get into Jiao Tong University, so he planned to get a house near Jiao Tong University.
The area around Jiao Tong University was already considered suburban.
The traditional city center, even a few years later, was still centered around "The Bund—People's Square," not extending west beyond Xujiahui or east beyond Pudong South Road.
Most old Shanghai residents considered Xujiahui to be the edge of the "urban-rural fringe."
One step further out, and there were farmlands.
The house Fang Bai found was not large, a two-bedroom, one-living room unit of 50 square meters, and the price was also cheap: the third floor was 1,400 yuan per square meter, while the first and sixth floors were the cheapest at only 1,150 yuan per square meter, much cheaper than the two to three thousand per square meter in the city, and it could even be zero down payment.
Wang Dakai was interested in this zero down payment development and asked Fang Bai for his opinion on whether to buy the first floor or the sixth floor.
"For multi-story buildings without elevators, the first floor is prone to dampness, and there are more ants, cockroaches, mice, and mosquitoes; privacy is also a bit worse, but older people like it because they don't have to climb stairs. If there's an elevated ground floor, it's a bit better.
The sixth floor, being the top floor, is tiring to climb, but it's fine for young people. The only concern is that the quality of buildings now is relatively poor, and there's a higher possibility of roof leaks after a few years of living there, but waterproofing can solve that. It's definitely better than the dampness of the first floor. It's up to you to choose."
Fang Bai analyzed, explaining that these were the common issues with multi-story buildings at the time.
If it were a high-rise residential building thirty years later, he definitely wouldn't buy the first floor, as the drainage pipes would be more prone to blockages, and bathroom backflow issues would be more common, making them very difficult to sell.
The waterproofing on the top floor slab is usually done better, so living on the top floor is not a problem.
The situation for multi-story and high-rise buildings is different; because there are no elevators, some people prefer to live on the first floor.
If both the first floor and the top floor have large gardens, their prices can even be higher than other floors.
After Fang Bai asked the salesperson in detail, he realized that the zero down payment had conditions: one needed proof of social security contributions from local employment.
The sales manager saw that Fang Bai and his companions had driven there and intended to buy a unit outright, and that friends could get zero down payment; they would help process social security proof and bank loans, but there would be an additional 100 yuan processing fee.
"If you like it, just buy it. The monthly mortgage payment is three to four hundred yuan, and salaries will increase every year." Fang Bai smiled and advised, seeing Wang Dakai's hesitation, "I can lend you the money for taxes and miscellaneous fees first."
50 square meters, in twenty or thirty years, would be worth around four million yuan.
It can be said that before 2000, salaries increased rapidly, and buying a house was still quite cost-effective.
"Okay, then I'll buy the sixth floor. If it leaks, I'll do the waterproofing. It's better than being uncomfortably damp on the first floor."
Wang Dakai felt no pressure from his family. Hearing Fang Bai say this, why hesitate? Buying it meant becoming a Shanghai city dweller.
Taxes and miscellaneous fees would probably be 15,000 yuan. He had 5,000 yuan, so he still needed to borrow 10,000 yuan from Fang Bai.
After Wang Dakai made his decision, he asked Li Xiaolong if he wanted to buy one together.
"I want to save more money, save for a few more years," Li Xiaolong replied, feeling the mortgage pressure was too great.
Fang Bai didn't try to persuade Li Xiaolong further; he had already said what needed to be said.
Shanghai's housing prices would rise a little each year, but fortunately, the increase was not large, so buying a few years later wouldn't have a significant impact, just cost a bit more.
After 2000, if house prices rose quickly, no matter how much salaries increased, they wouldn't keep up with the rate of house price appreciation.
Paying in full made the procedures quick, but buying with a down payment made the procedures much more troublesome. After Wang Dakai submitted his personal information, he still had to come back tomorrow to complete the process and open a bank account at the developer's designated bank.
On the fourth day, Fang Bai bought three 67-square-meter apartments in Shanbei Community near the Shanghai Stock Exchange, all on the third floor and side-by-side. As they were in the city center of The Bund, the average price was 2,300 yuan.
All five apartments were ready for occupancy. The cost of the houses, plus taxes and miscellaneous fees, and then the renovation and purchase of appliances and furniture, brought the total expenditure close to one million yuan.
After buying the houses, Fang Bai finally resolved his living situation in Shanghai. He could move in after the renovations were complete and the apartments had been aired out for a few months.
After finishing the house procedures, the date also reached July 15th. Qin Shuyu finished her last exam, and the next day was the start of the holiday.
Students from most departments also went on holiday during these two days, leaving the campus with large bags and small bags.
Wang Dakai had also completed the procedures for his house; from now on, he would have to pay the mortgage every month.
At ten o'clock on the morning of July 16th, Fang Bai had Li Xiaolong drive into the campus and park below the girls' dormitory building, attracting many students who gathered around, curious about which girl was going to be picked up.
At that time, a santana was no less impressive than a Rolls-Royce in later generations.
In those years, very few families owned a car, and those who could afford a santana usually had someone in a high official position or were running a big business.
Girls' Dormitory Building No. 3, Room 303.
Qin Shuyu had already packed her luggage, said goodbye to her roommates, and was preparing to leave the dormitory.
"Qin Shuyu, let me see you to the station. I'm not leaving until tomorrow," said Liao Xiaoyan, Qin Shuyu's closest roommate.
Qin Shuyu smiled and shook her head: "Thank you, Xiaoyan, no need. Someone is picking me up."
"Qin Shuyu, is it your boyfriend?"
"Uh." Qin Shuyu shook her head, then smiled sweetly, "To be precise, it's my partner."
Liao Xiaoyan said in surprise: "Oh, isn't your partner in your hometown? It's so nice of him to come all this way to pick you up."
Qin Shuyu said: "Uh, he's already here, waiting downstairs. I'm leaving now."
There were three other girls in the dormitory. Hearing Qin Shuyu's words, their eyes lit up. They were very curious about what Qin Shuyu's boyfriend looked like, that he would come all this way to pick her up and take her home.
"Qin Shuyu, let me see you downstairs," one of her roommates, Chen Li, suddenly suggested.
"Mhm, I'll also see Qin Shuyu off."
"No need, I can go by myself," Qin Shuyu said, "Everyone, please don't be so polite."
"Yes, yes, we must!"
"That's right, it's a must!"
Several roommates in the dorm swarmed forward, grabbing her suitcase and helping to carry it downstairs.
Qin Shuyu was a little embarrassed and somewhat confused. She could only close the dormitory door properly and follow them.
The moment she closed the door, she frowned, feeling as if something was off. She shook her head and quickly left the dormitory to catch up with her kind roommates.