Chapter 102: Barriers

Zhang Wei's appointment with the client went smoothly. Sister Li from the three-bedroom rental arrived on time at exactly five o'clock at the Yanyuan Community. Zhang Wei and Fang Wenjun had been waiting outside the shop with the house-viewing confirmation form and shoe covers.

Sister Li was in her forties, slightly plump, and not too tall. Her round face gave her a prosperous look. Through their conversation during the viewing, Zhang Wei learned her name was Li Qin, a full-time housewife.

Li Qin was not from Beijing originally. Her husband had been transferred for work, and they had recently moved to the capital. Her husband had just been hired by a foreign enterprise with a generous salary, but the company provided no housing. They were still staying in a hotel.

After learning about Li Qin's situation, Zhang Wei gained more confidence in closing the deal. Staying in a hotel in Beijing was expensive, and Li Qin seemed like a thrifty, frugal person who would jump at the chance to rent an apartment.

During their conversation, Fang Wenjun told Li Qin that she was the same Fang Wenjun Li Qin had spoken with that morning on the various rental websites. Li Qin was surprised, as she had seen the listings across different platforms and hadn't expected them to come from the same agency. Still, since they were simply viewing properties, Li Qin didn't dwell on it.

In addition to the 1012 apartment Zhang Wei had already prepared, Fang Wenjun had located two other three-bedroom units, both newly verified by checking the owner's details today. So all three apartments they were showing Li Qin were under her name.

If they signed the deal, Sister Li would receive 20 percent of the source performance as her sole share, while the remaining 80 percent would be split evenly between her and Zhang Wei. That meant she would pocket 60 percent of the agency fee, a fair reward for her greater effort.

The 1012 source was in Building 6, while the other two were in Building 7. Zhang Wei and Fang Wenjun quickly decided to view the two units in Building 7 first, leaving the Building 6 apartment for later.

"Sister Li, we have three apartments for you in total, two of which are in Building 7," Zhang Wei said. "Shall we start with those?"

"Alright, walk me through them as we go," Li Qin replied with a nod.

"Sister Li, one apartment in Building 7 is on the seventh floor and the other on the thirteenth. Both layouts are excellent, and both are first-time rentals." Because these were apartments Fang Wenjun had found, she took a more proactive role in the introduction than Zhang Wei did.

"The apartment on the thirteenth floor is out of the question," Li Qin said, frowning. "I don't like the number thirteen. Introduce the seventh-floor place instead."

"Very well. The seventh-floor apartment is rented for 6600 yuan monthly, faces south, measures 126 square meters, is fully decorated, and is vacant." Fang Wenjun, who had handled many clients with various preferences, didn't linger on the superstition behind Li Qin's dislike of the number thirteen. Instead, she continued describing the seventh-floor unit.

"Vacant?" Li Qin stopped walking and turned to Fang Wenjun. "You mean no appliances? Will the owner supply those later?"

"The owner has no current plans to provide any appliances," Fang Wenjun answered.

"If the owner isn't supplying appliances, why are you making me look at this? You didn't mention it was vacant when we spoke on the phone?" After two unsatisfactory viewings, Li Qin sounded irritated.

"Sister Li, I'm truly sorry," Fang Wenjun said, her face apologetic. "I didn't think this through."

"Sister Zhang, I remember you mentioned a tenth-floor apartment earlier," Li Qin said, her expression darkening as she turned to Zhang Wei. "Let's see that one. We can skip these two."

"That tenth-floor unit is in Building 6, fully furnished with all appliances and nicely decorated," Zhang Wei replied, trying to salvage the situation. "This time, I'm confident you'll be satisfied."

Failing to please a client during a property viewing could damage the agent's reputation and lead to lost future business. Zhang Wei and Fang Wenjun now faced exactly that risk.

The mishap had occurred because the two agents had not communicated clearly. Fang Wenjun had neglected to inform Zhang Wei about the additional apartments, and Zhang Wei had failed to mention them when speaking with the client on the phone. This awkward situation had resulted.

Feeling the sting of a professional error, Fang Wenjun lost face. On the walk to Building 6, she barely spoke to Li Qin. Only Zhang Wei engaged her in conversation, and midway he dialed Wang Jianfa to ask him to fetch the key from the owner.

The mistake wasn't entirely Fang Wenjun's fault; both agents shared responsibility. It was simply that Fang Wenjun had stumbled into the client's crosshairs.

Zhang Wei and Fang Wenjun were not close and were meeting a client for the first time, so natural barriers existed between them. These very barriers had caused their poor communication and the earlier mishap.

Zhang Wei and Fang Wenjun escorted the client to Building 6. Once inside the elevator, they reached the tenth floor, where Wang Jianfa was already waiting outside with the door open. His efficiency earned Zhang Wei's quiet admiration.

Zhang Wei nodded to Wang Jianfa and guided the client into the apartment. Beyond the entrance lay a luxurious living room. Because it faced south, sunlight poured in abundantly, yet the long-unopened windows left the space feeling stuffy and stagnant.

After Li Qin examined every corner of the apartment and nodded in approval, she asked, "How much is this apartment rented for?"

"Oh, the monthly rent is seven thousand yuan," Zhang Wei said. "If paid in advance for the year, we can reduce it by two hundred yuan."

Agency fees for rentals come in three common structures. The first is a one-month deposit followed by three months' rent, totaling four months' commission for the owner. The second is a one-month deposit followed by six months' rent, totaling seven months' commission. The third is a one-month deposit followed by twelve months' rent, totaling thirteen months' commission. This final option is the most advantageous to the landlord.

Other structures exist as well, such as a two-month deposit followed by three months' rent. Because these arrangements benefit the owner, the rent itself is often lower.

"The apartment is decent," Li Qin said, "but the rent is still too high. Are there any other apartments we can see?"

"Sister Li, good three-bedroom units are scarce right now," Zhang Wei replied honestly. "It's peak rental season, so once a fine unit becomes available, it gets rented almost immediately. There simply aren't many left."

Websites usually list real prices to avoid giving clients false hope of bargaining. With so many rental listings online, inflating the price would mean no one would click on the ad. Some agents deliberately underprice to attract more traffic, so Zhang Wei's quoted rate for this three-bedroom unit was actually quite reasonable.

Li Qin inspected the apartment once more. The decoration and furnishings were both excellent, and she was eager to find housing, so she had little patience for further haggling. "All right, I'll take this one at a one-month deposit and three months' rent for 6800 yuan. What do you think?"

"Sister Li, the price we quoted is already quite low, and this apartment is fully luxuriously decorated," Zhang Wei said, his expression strained. "A one-month deposit and three months' rent at 6800 yuan is almost impossible."

"If that's the case, I can pay the deposit right now," Li Qin replied, arms folded. "Otherwise, I'll just keep looking."

"Sister Li, please wait a moment," Zhang Wei said, seeing her firm stance. He didn't want to argue directly and signaled Fang Wenjun with a glance.

Fang Wenjun understood the signal, nodded, and stepped out of the room. She took out her phone and contacted the owner. The call connected quickly, and she relayed the client's details while strongly urging a reduction. Yet the owner remained unmoved.

After delivering the owner's refusal, Li Qin clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Why does he say rent for less and charge less? If he won't lower the price, I won't rent. I don't believe this is the only suitable apartment."

"Sister Li, you don't really need to save two hundred yuan," Zhang Wei advised, "and you're in a hurry. In my opinion, just rent this place."

"Two hundred per month is twenty-four hundred per year," Li Qin countered. "Let the owner deduct that from their rent and it would cover the difference. What do you say?"

Zhang Wei frowned. Whether the rent was 6800 or 7000 yuan mattered little to him, but deducting 2400 yuan from the agency fee would directly harm their own profits. Of course Zhang Wei and Fang Wenjun refused.

"Sister Li, three-bedroom sources are extremely scarce these days," Zhang Wei warned, trying to create urgency. "If you don't rent today, someone else may snap it up tomorrow."

"Fine, I'll rent it then," Li Qin said dismissively. "Beijing has plenty of apartments. With money, I won't have trouble finding one."

In the end, the deal fell through. After seeing the client out, Zhang Wei and Fang Wenjun returned to the Zhongtong store in low spirits. While one successful showing in a single visit was rare, this failure had been compounded by the agents' own barriers, inevitably straining their budding partnership.