Los Angeles Detective

Chapter 449 Buying a House

After Luke got home, he drove a Mercedes-Benz to 99 Dahua Supermarket, the largest Chinese supermarket chain in the United States.

This supermarket is very suitable for the traditional festivals of Huaguo. There are glutinous rice balls for Lantern Festival, rice dumplings for Dragon Boat Festival, and mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival. You can buy everything Huaguo people need here.

Luke walked around the supermarket, and the general feeling is that vegetables are more expensive than meat.

Tonight, Luke is going to arrange a family reunion, which is a way to welcome his father. He was busy closing the case a few days ago, and he only has free time today, so naturally he must handle it well.

In the past, family gatherings mostly ate barbecue, but today Luke decided to have something different, to eat hot pot.

Luke bought meat, seafood, and dipping sauces, filling the trunk of the car to the brim.

Back home, Li Zhaofeng also came back. The father and son didn't bother to cook, so they made a pot of tea and ate some wife cakes.

After taking a break, I started to pack the ingredients and prepare the family dinner.

Eating is the easiest way to achieve satisfaction in modern society. If you work hard on food, you will have a better experience in life.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the ingredients for the hot pot have been prepared, as are the drinks, including white wine, red wine, beer, and whiskey.

Luke's relatives also arrived one after another.

The first ones to come were the mother and the little fat man.

Yesterday, Li Zhaofeng met the little fat man. After picking him up from school, he took him to have dinner with him. However, he did not meet the legendary little girlfriend.

The little fat man and Linda got out of the car one after the other.

Luke walked over and kissed Linda on the cheek, "Mom, you look beautiful today, I like your pendant."

The little fat man on the side showed a smug expression, "I gave it to you."

"Really? Where did you get the money?"

The little fat man stretched out his palm, "Are you going to reimburse me?"

Luke waved his hand, "No, just pretend I didn't ask."

Li Zhaofeng also came over and said hello, "Linda, you are still the same as you remember, basically nothing has changed."

Linda pouted, "Are you complimenting me?"

"Yes, you are still so young and beautiful... This is what I want to express."

"You don't have to be so reserved, I've said it many times..." Linda seemed to think of something, shook her head, "Forget it.

Is dinner ready? Do you want to help? "

"No, we're ready."

Perhaps it was because they hadn't seen each other for a long time, the two of them got along a little awkwardly and unfamiliarly, and there was nothing to talk about after a few words.

The little fat man interjected, "Dad, what delicious food did you cook. I'm very hungry now."

Li Zhaofeng introduced, "We prepared hot pot, as well as fried chicken legs and pizza."

The little fat man showed an excited look, "Wow, it's all my favorite food."

Luke ordered fried chicken legs and pizza. Afraid that they would not be used to eating hot pot, Luke ordered the more familiar staple food pizza and fried chicken legs.

Eating hot pot with fried chicken sounds a little weird, but when you think about it, most Sichuan-style hot pot restaurants have small crispy meat, and it doesn't feel inconsistent to eat.

Now the little crispy meat has become fried chicken drumsticks, wouldn't it be more delicious.

Luke moved the folding dining table out and put it in the yard, preparing to eat hot pot outside. The weather is not too hot or cold, which is very suitable for outdoor gatherings.

After the tables, chairs, and ingredients were placed, Robert and Val also drove there.

"Hi, Robert." Li Zhaofeng stepped forward to hug him warmly.

Robert looked at Li Zhaofeng, and didn't show any abnormality because he divorced his daughter, "Hey, boy, how long have we not seen each other.

Except that my daughter will praise you when she receives alimony, I haven't heard from you for a long time.

You should come here often. "

Li Zhaofeng accepted humbly, "You are right, I will focus more on my children in the future."

Robert patted him on the shoulder, "You are a lucky guy with two good kids, haha."

Linda "..."

Val "..."

Li Zhaofeng shook hands with Val, "Man, how are you doing recently? I heard you found a new job."

Val laughed, "Not bad, I've been working in a supermarket lately.

Dad said that if I can work steadily in the supermarket for three years, he will consider investing in a small convenience store for me to run. "

Li Zhaofeng said, "Then I have to congratulate you in advance."

The little fat man leaned over, "Uncle, can I go to your store to do odd jobs then?"

Val thought for a while and said seriously, "Of course, I will give you a chance for an interview."

The little fat man rolled his eyes.

When all the people arrived, the hot pot was also placed on the table. It was a mandarin duck pot, a curry flavor, and a spicy flavor.

There are all kinds of ingredients on the table, such as meat, seafood, vegetables, and fungi. Luke first ordered half a box of mutton to moisten the pot.

He was worried that his mother, Robert, and Val could not get used to mutton, so he also bought a lot of beef rolls.

The little fat man was so hungry that he couldn't stand upright before the pot was opened. He picked up the fried chicken drumstick that had just been heated and ate it, it was called a crispy one.

Luke was hungry.

He was still muttering, "You know? I love this voice so much."

Val asked curiously, "Is your girlfriend not here?"

"Yes, Maggie is busy recently, so I'll come by myself."

Val shrugged, "I thought you broke up."

fatty"……"

You must be jealous of me, yes.

There are common colanders in both pots. Robert used the colander to scoop up a spoonful of mutton in the curry pot, dipped in the ingredients, took a bite, and gave a thumbs up, "I like the taste, it's great."

Luke smiled, "Very well, it seems that we have one more option for future family gatherings."

Robert pointed at the bottom of the butter pot again, "Is this spicy? It smells a bit choking."

Luke said, "Yes, this is spicy, my favorite flavor. But if you can't take spicy, don't try it."

Robert used a slotted spoon to scoop up a spoonful of mutton from the bottom of the spicy pot, dipped it in the ingredients and ate it, "Wow, it's a strange feeling, it's really spicy, and it feels a bit choking, but it tastes good."

Robert took a big sip from his beer glass and asked Li Zhaofeng, "How are your parents? I haven't seen them for many years."

Li Zhaofeng replied, "Very well, last time Luke and Jack went back to New York. They also mentioned you, and they thought they would come to Los Angeles to visit you sometime."

"I'll meet them at the airport and treat them to the best barbecue in Los Angeles."

"I'll pass it on to them and I'm sure they'll be happy."

Robert took another spoonful of meat in the spicy pot with a colander. This time, Luke put fat beef. Robert took a bite and nodded. He seemed to like the taste. He wiped his mouth and said, "You Is the first time you come to Los Angeles for work? How long do you plan to stay?"

Li Zhaofeng said, "Luke should tell you that he is going to buy a house in Los Angeles. I will help him with some tax issues and house purchase procedures. Basically, it is almost done. When he signs the contract, I will Back to New York."

Robert looked at Luke aside, "Boy, congratulations, you are going to have your first house in your life, when will you show us?"

Luke thought for a while, "The house I bought is a bit old. It may need to be renovated or rebuilt. It won't be able to live in for a short time after buying it."

Robert touched his nose, "Are you planning to live for a long time, or is it an investment?"

"Long-term living." If there is no accident, Luke will not consider selling this house, because the purchase price of this house is very low, and the tax rate will be high if it is sold.

And the neighborhood is very livable, there's no need for Luke to sell.

"It really needs to be built well. Let me know if you need help. I'm not very old yet."

"I will."

Val also said, "And me, as long as it's not borrowing money, everything else is fine."

Luke automatically ignored his words.

Robert put down his chopsticks, "Family, let's raise our wine glasses and congratulate Luke on owning his first house."

"cheers!"

...

next morning.

Luke and Daisy went to the transfer company together.

Because the real estate is in the nature of a stolen goods auction, it is handed over to a real estate company.

The agent of the real estate company is Tom Akram. He is a white man, about forty years old, wearing a suit and tie, and his hair is meticulously combed. He looks very professional.

"Mr. Li, nice to meet you." Tom offered his hand.

The two shook hands, and Luke introduced, "This is my lawyer, Daisy Ellis."

"Hello, Lawyer Daisy."

"Hello, Mr. Akram."

"Tom, just call me by my name."

The two sides sat at a conference table, and Tom Akram said, "Captain Li, I just read your news two days ago, thank you for catching that perverted gunman and restoring peace to Los Angeles. I believe in the process It must be thrilling and exciting."

"You're right, it's really exciting." Luke said politely, he was just a brat, and he was nothing compared to the murderers he had captured before.

Tom Akram said, "If there is a suitable time, we can have a drink and sit together and talk. I would like to hear your experience. You are now very famous in Los Angeles. Even my daughter knows you, detective. Luke."

Luke smiled, "If I publish an autobiography someday, I will definitely give your daughter a copy."

"She's going to be super happy."

After exchanging pleasantries between the two parties, Tom Akram put the briefcase on the table and took out some documents, "Captain Li, you should know the situation of this house.

Our company has been entrusted by the FBI to handle the sale procedures. "

"Yes, I know."

"Need I introduce the community and the house again?"

"Can."

"The Palisades community is located in the suburbs of Los Angeles, with convenient transportation and beautiful scenery. There are large supermarkets and restaurants nearby. There are two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. Although the school district is not large, it can be ranked among the top seven in California. .

This is also the place that many Chinese residents value most.

The average home price in the community is around $10 million.

The area and location of the house you bought are relatively good, and several similar houses are all around 11 million to 12 million.

The house you want to buy has been built for a long time, and has never been inhabited. The house needs to be renovated before it can be moved in, which is why the price of the house is lower.

However, based on the size and location of the house, if you are rebuilding, the overall price of the house will also appreciate, and the price of a new house may be between 11 million and 12 million. "

Daisy said, "As far as I know, due to the sluggish economic environment, the housing prices in Los Angeles have dropped some time ago. Has the Palisades community not been affected?"

Tom Akram shook his head, "The supporting facilities in the Palisades community are first-class, and more than 50% of the residents are Chinese. The housing prices in the Chinese community have always been strong, and there is almost no possibility of price reduction."

"OK, let's start signing." Luke spent three million to buy nine million land, no matter how you look at it, it's not a loss.

Luke also opened the briefcase and took out the loan information.

Tom Akram also produced some materials and documents.

With Daisy's help, Luke began to sign some documents, such as house title, insurance, property management and so on.

Luke asked, "Tom, you also know that the house is a bit dilapidated. I am going to find a construction company to repair or rebuild it. When can I start construction?"

Tom Akram replied, "According to the general regulations, the construction needs to be approved after the loan is officially transferred.

However, the person in charge of communication at the FBI said that as long as you hand in the down payment check and loan information of the house, you can dispose of the house as you like. "

Luke smiled. "Thank him for me."

Strictly speaking, this house itself is the welfare of the FBI's internal staff, but there is no need for Luke to tell the outside world.

Tom Akram reminds, "Before you start work, it is best to communicate with the community board in advance."

"thanks, I will."

After the two parties signed the contract, they shook hands and said goodbye.

Luke and Daisy get out of the transfer company together.

Sitting in the car, Daisy sighed, "Wow, a million-dollar mansion!"

Before, although Daisy knew that the community environment was good, she didn't expect it to be so valuable.

Luke smiled, "Do you want to go and see with me?"

Daisy glanced down at her watch, "Let's wait for the house to be repaired.

I have another client to meet this afternoon. "

"That's good, even if you go now, I can't entertain you." Thinking of the dilapidated house, Luke also felt a little helpless, this is a big project.

"When are you going to start work?"

"In the afternoon, I made an appointment with the builder, and took them to the house to inspect it on the spot, make a construction plan, and then decide whether to repair or rebuild."

Daisy nodded, "Remember to find me before signing the contract with the builder, the construction contract has some ambiguous clauses, if there are no problems, that's all.

Once there is a problem, it will be very troublesome, and it will cost money and time to go to court. "

"I will."

Daisy took off her high heels and changed into a comfortable sitting position, "It's getting late, let's go have lunch.

Think of it as celebrating your new home purchase. "

Luke started the car. "What would you like to eat? I'm treating you."

"French food, treat it as your lawyer's fee today."

"make a deal."

I'm going to have my tooth pulled tomorrow.

I will write until after eleven o'clock tonight and save some manuscripts.

If the pain is not severe tomorrow and the body can bear it, the code will be updated normally tomorrow afternoon.

If it hurts badly, it's probably worse.

However, tomorrow is not considered a leave of absence, it is an indebtedness and will be made up.