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What are questions that will make it sound like I can afford a million euro house?

There is a house I walk by occasionally that I absolutely love. It’s old and run down but definitely art deco in a modest kind of way, with round balconies and a gold brick doorway. As a joke, I keep telling people this is my future house.

I say as a joke because I am a broke millennial. I have accepted my fate of never moving past paying rent for a place to live and spending the remainder of my minimalist income on avocado toast and oat milk lattes.

But recently, I saw a “For Sale” sign in front of the house and this is probably my only chance to ever see its art deco interior, if any is left, before it’s all turned into a modern and soulless place.

I have called the seller and I overheard its asking price when they referred to it as the “1.1 million euro house”. They asked twice if that was indeed the one I wanted to visit.

The visit date will be set next week.

Now, how do I sound like I’m the kind of person who doesn’t flinch at the idea of spending a million euros on a house? What questions do I ask? What might they ask me in return? What are things I shouldn’t say?

Some extra information:

  • This is in Brussels, Belgium
  • A permit was requested to split the house into 5 apartments (2 floors could be built above the existing 3)
  • It was originally built as a single family home

Edit: this is the house

1000008207

proudblond , (edited )

I’m from California so my wealth meter is broken beyond all reason. Is 1.1 million euros really considered “rich?” Everybody’s making jokes about wearing a monocle or not asking questions about flooding and I’m sitting here thinking about the house on my street that sold for about that much recently…and is a tear-down. 😭

Edit: actually wait, it was more like twice that much… it was like $2.3 mil and there’s no way they do any less than strip it to the framing.

cygnus ,
@cygnus@lemmy.ca avatar

Same, and also with experience in the construction business, so my first thought was that 220k per door for apartments is quite reasonable. I wouldn’t fret about it at all, because in the grand scheme of things this is chump change. Just say you’re getting into real estate investing with a business partner.

OldFartPhil ,

I’m assuming open houses aren’t a thing in Belgium? In the US, it’s no big deal to walk in to an open house and just tell the agent that you live in the neighborhood, like the house and have always wanted to see the inside. They’re usually pretty chill about that.

themeatbridge ,

Some wealthy people don’t give a shit whether you believe they have wealth. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone until and unless you make an offer. Ask questions, and don’t answer questions. Give vague, short responses and neglect to elaborate.

tuckerm ,

"What schools are nearby?"

"Is the walk in humidor full or partial?"

"Can the windows be taken out for moving in large furniture? I own Salvador Dali's favorite piano."

whaleross ,
@whaleross@lemmy.world avatar

“What are the local regulations for a rooftop helicopter platform?”

“At what depth are the subways should I have built a multilevel wine cellar?”

“Can you recommend a personal security firm in the area?”

swab148 ,
@swab148@lemm.ee avatar

“What are the permit costs for building an aquarium? Unrelated, but what are the exotic animal laws here?”

“Would it be possible to build a copy of this room, but 1/8th the size?”

“How big is the local Dutch population?”

intensely_human ,

Is it a problem if I pay in million-dollar bills?

CompassRed ,

Just say you recently came into some inheritance and that you are looking into investment opportunities. Then they will expect you to be out of your element, so you won’t need to try to pretend you’re someone you’re not. If they ask about the inheritance, say your grandfather made a fortune selling lumber or something boring like that.

ultranaut ,

I’ve never gone house shopping in Belgium but in the US at least, you would be fine just staying vague if they ask you any personal questions as long as you keep it friendly and aren’t rude about it. If you wanted to say you have an uncle or someone like that who is thinking of investing in apartments and he wanted you to check it out for him since you live in the area, that is a totally plausible story and will provide plenty of cover for you to be yourself. In my experience in the US at least, real estate agents want to show you the properties they are selling. They don’t want you to waste their time, but if they are selling a house they generally want as many people to check it out as possible. Ideally those are people who actually want to buy it, but anyone checking out a property they have for sale is always better than no one.

Greg ,
@Greg@lemmy.ca avatar

I’m not sure about questions to ask but you should definitely wear a monocle

eezeebee ,
@eezeebee@lemmy.ca avatar

Ask if there’s any history of water damage or flooding - it looks like the garage would let water flow down into it. There are visible cracks near the roof. Important things to know to protect your “investment”.

Also, please do follow up. I want to know how this goes.

cm0002 ,

I don’t think a rich person who “won’t flinch at spending 1.1 million euros” would actually ask those questions, they’d just spend whatever they need on it lol

Like a 60k repair to them would be like 50$ to you or me

eezeebee ,
@eezeebee@lemmy.ca avatar

You make a good point. Still, I think it depends. I can see a multi-millionaire caring more about their $50 than the average person. 60k on 1.1mil is more than 5%. And when your primary goal is to gather as much wealth as possible, that matters - that’s 60k that isn’t making them more money, plus time for construction that delays making more money on the investment.

INHALE_VEGETABLES ,

I can’t help, but would love a update once you are done.

Bonus points if you wear a recording device or film some of it.

CaptainBasculin , (edited )

Questions to ask if you feel like it:

How much does an average apartment go by in rent around this area? (This’ll create the assumption that you’ll buy it all and put all apartments to rent)

How’s the neighborhood? How noisy is it on a scale of 1-10?

Are there spaces to park multiple cars?

CaptDust , (edited )

The easiest approach would likely be “scouting” on behalf of an associate, perhaps they couldn’t make it and sent you. Take lots of pictures for your associate, and you’re not personally involved with the purchase makes it easier to handwave questions.

If you insist on pretending to be rich keep discussion light, talk about potential renovations, take pictures to send to your designer. Ask about the history of the home, dig for unique characteristics. Inquire about the area and what kind of “crowds” to expect. Don’t dress too fancy, don’t pull up in a 09 civic (park around the block and walk), and if they ask, you made a small fortune trading crypto.

cm0002 ,

This is the perfect answer OP, a rich person would most likely never want to see a place like this in person, they’d “send someone”

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