16 days looking to buy an old house for a single mother

Minh is a single mother. I met her more than 4 years ago in Ho Chi Minh City, when mother and daughter were looking to buy an old house in a deep alley in a suburban area.

The first time she went to buy a house, she and her daughter, walked down to the meeting place from a small 4-seater taxi, wearing a mahogany suit and a yellow bracelet. During a meeting with the seller to negotiate, Ms. Minh raised many dissatisfactions and many requests to repair the house – a way to add an advantage to lower the price. The owner is consistent with the price of over 500 million VND. The negotiation failed. The “psychological tactics” did not help her get the desired price.

From my point of view, the image of Ms. Minh shows many things. She wears and embellishes a formal suit like the way the old women wore velvet dresses on important occasions. Conversations and requests are spoken less naturally. Obviously, she is not familiar with the instructions of someone “tips” when buying and selling real estate.

The image of mother and daughter as a representation of the desire to own a home of people who do not have a lot of money. They make me think. I think about their dream of buying a house. And for the next 16 days, I went through all the alleys and alleys to find a home that would match their requirements, ensuring a more favorable selling price.

The location and the house are reasonable. Ms. Minh bought. The price paid is 476 million VND, I cut all brokerage fees.

On the day of the housewarming party, I was invited to attend. Said to be a party, but the guests only had 6 people, including their mother and daughter. When she burned incense to worship her ancestors, she cried and cried like a child. She said that she had been wandering for 23 years, with her children staying everywhere, staying at an acquaintance’s house, until the end of her life, she also had a safe place.

The story of Ms. Minh is just one of many cases over the years as a broker, making me realize that people with little money are much harder to serve than rich people, but helping them find a home always brings a sense of happiness. .

Buying a house together, the rich make a request because they want to maximize profits. People with little money want maximum effort. Rich people spend on what they want. People with little money spend on things they need and want to maximize the amount of money spent. This comes from the fact that they have to accumulate for a lifetime, sometimes “two lives” to be able to own a property. As a result, their requests and desires are many and sometimes irrational. But be more patient with them.

They are not greedy. They’re just sorry. There is a huge difference between the thinking of the rich and those with little money when buying. The rich see themselves getting what they want. People with little money see that they are about to lose some money. Maybe we think they need to change their thinking and improve their ability to get rich. But not all efforts have the desired results, natural instinct is also an important part. If all efforts are successful, those who love to sing can become famous singers.

People with little money sometimes feel very guilty and do everything they can to make people not know they are poor. Let’s sympathize. Neither expose nor judge them. Each person’s worldview is shaped by the living environment and the people they come into contact with. Perhaps due to many life situations, I have always had a certain patience and special interest in social housing, housing for low-income people, and housing for end-consumers. I find joy in stories when I work, even if sometimes it doesn’t bring money.

*The story is the narration of a real estate broker with nearly ten years working in Ho Chi Minh City, Lam Dong…

*Names of characters in this post have been changed.

According to Nhat Tieu Son Tra