"These villas are really expensive — each one costs over a million Hong Kong dollars!"
"No kidding! You could buy several regular apartments for that price."
Even before looking at the detailed listings, just seeing the price made Father Lin and Mother Lin gasp in disbelief. The cheapest of the villas cost over one million HKD, while the more expensive ones went for two or three million.
Lin Baicheng skimmed through the brochures and noticed that all the listed villas were located in Beverly Hill or Repulse Bay — none were in the more prestigious Mid-Levels or Victoria Peak areas.
"Miss Tao, why aren't there any villas in Mid-Levels or on the Peak?" Lin asked. With over ten million HKD on hand in 1977, he figured he should still be able to afford one.
Tao Lan explained, "Those areas are mostly occupied by Hong Kong's old-money families or British gentlemen. Very few properties there go on sale — and when they do, they're snapped up almost immediately. At the moment, all the villas in those districts already have owners."
"I see."
Lin nodded thoughtfully. But then he remembered — once Britain and China began negotiating Hong Kong's return, there would inevitably be a wave of British expatriates and Hong Kong tycoons fleeing overseas. When that happened, they would sell off their properties in bulk — including the mansions on Victoria Peak and the Mid-Levels.
When that time came, he would have even more money, and could seize the opportunity to buy a few of those prime villas.
For now, though, he just needed a suitable one for the family to live in temporarily.
"Brother," Lin Qin said excitedly, pointing at one of the brochures, "let's buy the one in Repulse Bay! It even comes with a private beach. It's summer now — we could go play by the sea anytime!"
"What do you think, Mom and Dad?" Lin turned to his parents.
"We're fine with anything," Mother Zhao Huilan said with a smile. "All of these villas are far better than where we live now — any one of them is good enough for us."
"What about you, Sis?" Lin asked, turning to Lin Shufang.
"I agree with Mom and Dad. You decide, little brother," she replied.
"Then let's go with the seaside villa in Repulse Bay," Lin decided.
After all, in his view, they would only live there for a few years. Eventually, they would move to somewhere even better — so he might as well let his little sister have what she wanted.
"There are two villas for sale in Repulse Bay," Tao said. "They're quite similar in design and layout. Since you're already buying one, you might as well pick the better one — the price difference isn't much."
Father and Mother Lin didn't object. If they were already spending over two million, another hundred or two thousand wouldn't make much difference.
Mrs. Lin turned to ask, "Miss Tao, this villa costs 2.3 million HKD — are prices really that high nowadays?"
Tao smiled professionally. "Madam, villas are always far more expensive than standard flats. As the saying goes, 'rarity adds value.'"
She continued, "Prices vary greatly by district. For example, in the New Territories, new apartments go for about HKD 150 per square foot. In Kowloon, the average is 200 per square foot, about one-third higher.
"On Hong Kong Island, prices are higher still — in the southern districts, like here, around 250 per square foot. In Central, Western, or Causeway Bay, you're looking at 300 HKD per square foot or more, more than double the New Territories' rates.
"And those are just apartments. Villas typically cost several times more per square foot. In places like the Mid-Levels or the Peak, the prices are even higher — home only to the elite or public figures."
"The villa you're looking at," she went on, "has a floor area of 1,650 square feet, surrounded by forest and with private beach access. The total land area is 3,500 square feet, so the total price of 2.3 million HKD is actually quite reasonable."
Lin frowned slightly. "That's not how value works. The villa's surrounded by trees on three sides — those woods are basically free. And if it's a beachfront property, the beach should come with it by default. The land area might sound large, but let's be honest — those extra trees don't add much value, do they?"
He wasn't wrong. The trees and sand were nice perks, but they didn't really cost anything — and if you didn't own the surrounding land, what was the point of calling it a villa? You might as well buy a regular flat.
Besides, the price was higher than Lin had expected. From his previous life's experience, most mainland villas weren't that much more expensive than apartments — they only cost more because they were larger.
Of course, he wasn't thinking of the ultra-luxury mansions worth hundreds of millions — those were for billionaires, not ordinary tycoons.
"Yes, sir, you're absolutely right," Tao said politely, smiling as she continued to praise the property's advantages.
Naturally, Lin and his family negotiated. The listed price of 2.3 million HKD wasn't firm — there was room to bargain. After some back-and-forth, they settled on 2.1 million HKD, nearly a 10% discount.
After finalizing the villa's price, Lin didn't stop there. He and his family also bought five more apartments, each around 1,000 square feet, costing a total of just over one million HKD.
Even with the negotiations done, Lin didn't immediately pay. He insisted that Tao take them to view the properties in person — especially the villa — to make sure everything matched the brochures. If there was anything unsatisfactory, they could still back out.
Naturally, Tao agreed. She asked them to wait while she fetched the keys.
First, they went to inspect the Repulse Bay villa. With eight people in total, two cars were just enough.
At the villa, Father Lin, Mother Lin, and Sister Shufang nitpicked every detail, pointing out flaws here and there — and managed to get Tao to knock off another 100,000 HKD. She refused to go any lower, but everyone was satisfied with the result.
In the end, they settled on a final price of 2 million HKD for the villa.
Then they visited the five apartments — all around 1,000 square feet, give or take — and Tao offered a 10% discount without further argument. The Lins accepted.
Finally, they returned to the Taikoo Shing sales center to complete the transactions.
In total, the one villa and five apartments came to 3.6 million HKD. Lin paid in full, in cash, without taking out any loans. These purchases were meant to provide his family with long-term security — taking out mortgages would defeat that purpose.
True to Taikoo Shing's efficiency, the entire property transfer process was completed the same day, and the ownership documents were handed over to the Lin family. Lin asked his parents to keep them safe.