Chapter Three: Preparations

Clap, clap, clap... Manager Xu Ming strode out of the office, clapping his hands briskly and speaking with an energetic air, “Everyone, stop what you’re doing for a moment, I have something to say.”

“You remember what I mentioned a few days ago, don’t you? Our company’s VIP client is looking for a store location for a restaurant, with an area between three to five hundred square meters, a monthly rent around one hundred thousand yuan, and the spot needs to have a good amount of foot traffic.” Xu Ming noticed Zhang Wei had returned, nodded, and continued.

“This client is absolutely reliable, and since it’s a client introduced by the company, whoever finds the property and seals the deal will get all the credit for both the client and the property. Did everyone hear that clearly?” Xu Ming called out in a loud voice.

At a standard commission rate of one month’s rent, a one-hundred-thousand-yuan commission was not a small deal. With a thirty percent cut, closing this deal could mean at least thirty thousand yuan in one’s pocket, while a broker’s monthly base salary was barely over a thousand yuan—no wonder everyone was excited.

“Brother Xu, how could we not listen to your instructions? We’ve already found the properties, the key thing is, when is the client coming?” Broker Guo Bin’s face showed a hint of excitement as he quickly asked after Xu Ming’s words.

Guo Bin was an ordinary broker in the office, a year younger than Zhang Wei—a tall, handsome young man whose only shortcoming was a slight stutter at critical moments.

Guo Bin liked to act mature, and perhaps because they were close in age, he often bantered with Zhang Wei. Thus, he hadn’t paid much attention to Zhang Wei’s recent injury, even seeming to take a bit of pleasure in it, though he wasn’t malicious at heart.

“The client will be here soon. For now, hurry up and arrange viewings with the property owners—get all available properties scheduled for this morning.” Xu Ming said solemnly.

Hearing the client was a relative of upper management, the team immediately regarded this unseen customer with greater respect. Before Xu Ming could urge them again, everyone grabbed their notebooks and began dialing property owners, the office quickly filling with the sounds of ringing phones.

“Hello, Sister Tian? This is Xiao Guo from Zhongtong Real Estate, I called you a couple of days ago...”

“Hello, Mr. Zhang? This is Wang Min from Zhongtong, is your shop in Elegant Court still available for rent?”

...

“Time’s about up, everyone come over and tell me which properties you’ve found, so I can organize the viewing schedule.” Half an hour later, Xu Ming glanced at his watch and spoke.

There are many intricacies in the real estate brokerage trade—from the first contact with a client to the moment they leave, every step has its own tricks and secrets. Even property viewings are an art in themselves, and an hour wouldn’t be enough to explain all the details. Ultimately, it relies on the broker’s experience and their understanding of the client’s personality and needs to make the most appropriate choices.

Xu Ming sat in the back row, the others gathered around him, reporting the details of their available properties. Generally, after obtaining a property, brokers are required by company policy to enter it into the “Property Friend” system. This allows other colleagues with clients to match properties quickly, and once a deal is made, the credit for the property goes to whoever entered it.

Sealing a deal depends on several factors—property, client, and keys—each indispensable. Thus, the commission is split: twenty percent for the property, twenty percent for the keys, and sixty percent for the client. However, everyone harbors personal interests. Since the property’s share is only twenty percent, the rest goes to colleagues who supply the client and keys. If the keys aren’t collected, their share goes to the client’s side. Therefore, many try to maximize their gains—if they have an exclusive property, they’ll keep it off the system and reserve it for their own clients, so if a deal is struck, they get the entire commission.

So, when a good client comes along and the system yields no suitable property, everyone checks with their close colleagues, since most have one or two exclusive listings. This is an open secret in the real estate business—company policy forbids it, but it can’t be eradicated.

Sure enough, Wang Min, Guo Bin, and Zhang Wei each reported a slew of properties—most of which couldn’t be found in the system. Zhang Wei had already prepared his notebook and carefully recorded each listing for future use with suitable clients.

“Think again if there are any suitable properties we’ve missed—ideally, let’s get all the landlords to show their properties today,” Xu Ming said, closing his notebook and scanning the group.

“No more,” everyone replied, either aloud or with a shake of the head.

“Alright, now make sure you enter every property you reported into the system. Commissions are assigned according to the ownership in the system. If someone else enters the property under their name before you do, and the deal goes through, you’ll get nothing—even if you cry it won’t help. From now on, enter new properties into the system right away, or if the company finds out you’re hiding listings, you’ll be fired on the spot. Understood?” Xu Ming said sternly.

“Understood.”

“Got it, Brother Xu.” Though everyone had their own calculations, they all nodded in agreement.

“I’ll assign the reception duties. We shouldn’t have too many people on the viewing—me, Guo Bin, Wang Min, and Zhang Wei will accompany the client. Li Lin and Wang Jianfa, you’ll stay and mind the shop.” Xu Ming surveyed the group. “Any issues with this arrangement?”

“No problem, I’m a hundred percent behind it.” Guo Bin patted his chest—being part of the viewing team was a coveted task.

“No problem,” Wang Jianfa replied, since he hadn’t provided any properties. Tagging along would just mean feeling anxious, staying at the shop might net a new client.

“Li Lin, you’re a senior agent now. With me out, keep an eye on things here.” Xu Ming pointed at Li Lin, reminding her.

“Brother Xu, what do you mean ‘senior’? I’m not old!” Li Lin shot him a glare, pouting in protest.

“Exactly, Sister Li Lin is in her prime—how can you call her old? Brother Xu, you owe her an apology.” Wang Min covered her mouth, giggling. She was confident about her property and in high spirits.

“You’re a senior broker, not old, alright?” Xu Ming turned his face aside, pursing his lips and rolling his eyes.

“That’s better. Try adding ‘old’ again and see what happens.” Li Lin shook her fist in mock threat.

Xu Ming was older, held a higher position, and was highly capable, yet he was approachable with his staff, earning their respect. Even so, everyone joked with some restraint—except for the straightforward Li Lin, who always spoke her mind around Xu Ming and was the big sister of the branch.

After some teasing, Xu Ming dismissed everyone to return to their tasks or wait for the client’s arrival...

An hour later, a young woman entered the Zhongtong branch. Guo Bin, sitting in the front row, immediately perked up, hurriedly stood, and stepped forward to greet her.

“Hello, miss. Are you looking to rent or buy a property?”

The young woman, in her twenties, was tall and slender, wearing a pink T-shirt and tight jeans that accentuated her graceful figure. Her beauty was stunning—wavy hair cascading over her shoulders, fair cheeks, arched eyebrows, clear eyes, a delicate nose, and soft cheeks with two shallow dimples. She was striking at first glance.

“Hello, my name is Murong Xuan. Is Manager Xu Ming here?” The beauty gave a professional, faint smile.

“Miss Murong, welcome. I am Xu Ming, manager of Zhongtong branch. We spoke on the phone earlier—I didn’t expect you’d arrive so promptly.” Xu Ming rose to greet her, smiling.

“Manager Xu, have you arranged the property viewings?” Murong Xuan’s beautiful eyes swept over the store as she asked.

“Yes, everything is arranged—you can view the properties at any time. You’ve traveled far; would you like to rest here a moment?”

“No need, let’s see the properties first.” Murong Xuan waved her hand.

“Very well, let’s go then.” Xu Ming, though not tall, had a keen eye. He could tell that although Murong Xuan was polite, beneath the courtesy lay a certain pride that kept others at a distance. With people like this, it was best to keep things strictly business—any attempt to curry favor would only backfire.

With that, the group set out to begin the viewings.