Hong Kong's new giants

Chapter 463 [136 million projects]

In mid-August, Lin Zuhui led the team to New York again, because Richman, the owner of Olympia York, had nowhere to go.

Olympia York Company was in the stage of "bankruptcy protection", and the plan proposed by Richman and the advisory group did not go smoothly, and it was difficult to reach a consensus among many bond banks.

At this time, Richman had to consider the worst plan, so he remembered the plan proposed by Lin Zuhui, and decided to consider selling 8 skyscrapers in Manhattan to New Times Group.

Therefore, as soon as Lin Zuhui arrived in New York, Richman immediately arranged for someone to lead the people of the New Times Group to inspect the eight buildings in detail.

Needless to say the results of the investigation, at least in Lin Zuhui's view, the discount of 20% to 40% is not an exaggeration at all.The vacancy rate is as high as 50%, and the buildings were built in a relatively early age—there were two buildings in the 60s, four buildings in the [-]s, and two buildings in the [-]s.

The age of the building means that it will need to spend money on upgrading and redecorating in the future, which is a very large investment.

Of course, even though there are many shortcomings and great risks, Lin Zuhui intends to win it.

After all, opportunities are rare!
The so-called opportunity is naturally because of Richman's cooperation, which is the basis of the discount transaction.

If it weren't for Richman's desire for Lin Zuhui's contribution in London's 'Canary Wharf', he would have bankrupted the company and would not have sold the property so cheaply.

After the inspection, the two parties came to the conference room to negotiate.

Richman said first: "Mr. Lin, assuming I sell these eight buildings to you at a discount, are we going to sign a private agreement, an agreement involving the 'Canary Wharf' project."

Lin Zuhui shook his head with a smile, and said, "Mr. Richman, I think you should trust me. I am the richest man in the Chinese community, and I have never done anything that would damage my reputation. The important thing is that I am very concerned about the 'Canary Wharf' project. If you are interested, you will definitely invest.”

What to do with that kind of agreement is more or less a risky thing!
Richman looked at Lin Zuhui seriously, and then jokingly said: "Mr. Lin really has a good appetite, and he bought nearly half of my decades of achievements at once."

Lin Zuhui spread his hands and said, "Win-win cooperation! I'm helping Mr. Richman make a comeback. Don't talk about the London project. Just this transaction may change the fate of Olympia York Company."

The income of more than one billion US dollars may make the debt bank of Olympia York agree to some conditions, but it is not certain. Although the probability is small, Richman may also be fighting for this.

Sure enough, the expression on Richman's face changed slightly. The reason for this was that he felt that Lin Zuhui was too good at judging people. He really had this kind of luck in his heart.

Next, Richman said: "These eight buildings, I hope to sell for $160 per square foot. After all, they are now my assets, and I don't want to be too cheap!"

Lin Zuhui immediately said: "At this price, no one will buy it in the next three years. My team has investigated that large companies in Manhattan have moved out one after another, and the economic environment in the United States has been affected. If there are no new opportunities, he will not buy it in the next five years." It won’t be worth it! If we didn’t intend to hold it for a long time, how could we take such a risk! Therefore, I hope to sell it at $140 per square meter, don’t forget, you and I have additional conditions.”

The total is 1180 million square feet of office buildings, which is almost the rent-collecting area of ​​Chinese Land in Xiangjiang (not counting Hengjin Real Estate’s shareholding, but including the area under reconstruction).

Each of the eight buildings is equivalent to Central Plaza, with an area of ​​140 to 160 million square feet.But in fact, the height does not exceed 200 meters, which is not considered a skyscraper, but the buildings in the United States are strong enough, with a floor of about 3 square feet.

And Xiangjiang's "Central Plaza" has a floor area of ​​less than 2 square feet (78 floors, with a total area of ​​140 million square feet).

Because the area is large enough, Lin Zuhui also has to seriously bargain for the unit price per square foot!Over $150 per square foot, he won't buy.

Therefore, the two parties exchanged opinions on the price, but it can be regarded as taking care of each other, and finally settled at 148 US dollars.

This unit price is equivalent to 17.5 billion US dollars in this transaction, which is about 136 billion.

So, in the end, Lin Zuhui said: "Since we have initially reached an agreement, both parties need to prepare. Mr. Richerman needs to convince the creditor bank, and I also need to convince the lending bank. I hope we can complete the transaction in September."

Richman immediately said: "Our creditor bank must also be your loan bank, so that it will be easier to pass this transaction. Mr. Lin, do you think so?"

Lin Zuhui thought about it, and felt that this was really the case. The important thing was that Lin Zuhui originally planned to obtain loans from HSBC and Citibank.

"Yes, then let's work together to facilitate this deal! To be honest, I would rather work with Mr. Richman on the 'Canary Wharf' project. Of course, I mean that this project must be led by you, so that to be completed according to plan.”

Seeing Lin Zuhui like this, Richerman is also quite touched. He also attaches great importance to the project of 'Canary Wharf', which is much higher than the eight buildings in Manhattan.

In fact, another reason for Richman's failure in London was that his backer, Ms. Sarah, was no longer a palm reader. Therefore, the subway project promised by the government was stranded because of the poor economic performance in Europe and the United States in recent years.

In Lin Zuhui's view, assuming that the project is redeemed for Richman (from the creditor bank), he is the second in command and the major shareholder.Well, not only can he assist Richman in the business layout, Lin Zuhui also has a good way to deal with the external environment.

For example, the first thing is to get the subway thing done. The London government also realized that Canary Wharf cannot be shut down because it is not good for the government's image; then the investor will subsidize part of the government's money, and the subway project will naturally pass.

You must know that the Canary Wharf project has 6.5 people working there in later generations, so you can imagine how huge the project is.Therefore, it is also very cost-effective to subsidize hundreds of millions of dollars to the London government.

"Thank you Mr. Lin for your trust. If there is a chance, I will definitely find you as the first investor!" Richman also knows that Lin Zuhui is a very good investor. Both of them are owners of real estate companies, so they must have something in common .

Of course, the Canary Wharf project is too huge, and other investors are naturally indispensable.

New York, Citibank headquarters.

Lin Zuhui came to the office of Citigroup Chairman John Reed, who is the second largest individual shareholder of Citibank after Waleed.Of course, Lin Zuhui has no management power.

"Mr. Lin, are you here to care about the operation of Citibank?" Reid said with a smile.

Although Lin Zuhui does not have management rights, he still has the right to know about the experience of Citibank.After all, as a shareholder, and a second shareholder, this is a normal right to know.

Lin Zuhui said with a smile: "Of course not. I believe that under the leadership of Mr. John, Citibank has got rid of all crises. I will hold it for a long time in the next ten years."

Impossible ten years, in the first quarter of 2000 he will definitely start to reduce holdings.

The Internet bubble was also a blow to banks.

When John Reed heard Lin Zuhui's praise and trust, he immediately felt more comfortable.In fact, Lin Zuhui is not only a big investor of Citibank, but also an ally and an important partner of Citibank, especially in Asia.

For example, in Xiangjiang, the headquarters building of Citibank is the 'Citizen Center' which is cooperating with New Times Group.Citibank accounts for [-]% of the shares, and the investment is also very profitable.

Wanguotong Center has a total area of ​​160 million square feet (two buildings). According to the current price of Xiangjiang office buildings, the value may be worth more than 100 billion. It has doubled in value before it is put into use.

Reid said with a smile: "Thank you Mr. Lin for your trust!"

He knew that the stock price of Lin Zuhui's personal investment was 12 US dollars per share, which has not yet returned the capital; but the investment of New Times Group has almost already achieved a return rate of more than 25%.

Then, Reed asked: "Then what is the purpose of Mr. Lin's visit this time?"

Lin Zuhui informed Reid about his plan to take down the eight skyscrapers of the 'Olympia York Company'.

Reid was surprised when he heard that, as far as the current Manhattan office market is concerned, almost no one is buying it, and the market sentiment is very pessimistic.Lin Zuhui did the opposite, which surprised him very much.

However, he did not advise Lin Zuhui. After all, Citibank needs loan business, and the real estate in Manhattan, New York also needs someone to save it.

It can be said that as an American entrepreneur, he can't wait for Xiangjiang's capital to come to Manhattan to buy properties.

In fact, Heung Kong Capital has indeed been buying properties in Manhattan these years, but they are buying high-end apartments near Central Park, and there are a lot of people buying them.

Reid said: "We at Citibank are very supportive of this transaction. It will not only help improve the situation of Olympia York, but also obtain a loan. But how much does Mr. Lin plan to borrow?"

Lin Zuhui said: "A total of US$11 billion in loans is needed, and I plan to let Citibank and HSBC be the main lenders."

Reed immediately asked, "What mortgage?"

Lin Zuhui said with a smile: "How about the office buildings in Xiangjiang? At present, the real estate in Xiangjiang is booming, and the office buildings are very prosperous. I believe they are the best collateral."

Reed believes that the mainland is deepening its opening up, and Citibank also attaches great importance to its business in Asia. It hopes to return to the mainland with Xiangjiang as its base.

"Yes! We are willing to undertake a loan of 5 million US dollars, and we are willing to facilitate this transaction!"

"That would be great! If this deal is concluded, next year we will need a larger loan from you, but don't worry, we all have high-quality assets as collateral."

"Haha, Mr. Lin was joking, we trust you very much. Your company is running perfectly, with rich assets, but few loans. You are not that 'Canadian brat', but a real genius businessman."

Lin Zuhui's influence in the United States far exceeds that of Li Chaoren, especially on Wall Street.At present, Hengjin Investment can be regarded as Lin Zuhui's investment company on the bright side. It holds shares in Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks, and Citibank, and it is also well known by Wall Street in the United States.

Of course, they know you well, but they don't know the specific amount of investment. After all, some of the investment is handled by offshore companies.

As for the investment of the family office, they all use offshore companies and cross-shareholding, which is very low-key.

In fact, Lin Zuhui's assets should have four doors: the first door of company shares, the second door of Hengjin investment, the third door of family office, and the fourth door of "concubine's child".

He has so many concubines to have children, as long as he is not "A Dou who can't afford it", Lin Zuhui will support their "ten billion net worth" plan.

This is more in line with the 'egg investment philosophy'.

After negotiating with Citibank, Lin Zuhui invited Buffett to a party.

As soon as the two met in the restaurant, Buffett gave him a thumbs up.

"Mr. Lin, it is undoubtedly a very good time for you to invest in General Dynamics stock this time!"

Lin Zuhui invited him to sit down, and said: "You only invested 1 million US dollars, where is your courage? It is said that you added more than 300 million shares?"

Buffett did not lie to Lin Zuhui, but said directly: "That's right, but I invested after I found out that General Dynamics repurchased the stock, so the cost price was around $72. Your cost should be around $60?"

Lin Zuhui also said truthfully: "Not bad, around $62!"

Seeing that Lin Zuhui is so powerful, Buffett couldn't help but want to test Lin Zuhui's ability, so he asked, "Why did Mr. Lin choose to invest in General Dynamics? Can you tell me the reason?"

It would be cool to think about being able to teach a stock god how to do things!
Lin Zuhui said calmly: "Since Anders became the CEO of General Dynamics, he has sold assets for more than 12 billion US dollars and laid off thousands of employees. General Dynamics itself has a very rich cash flow, and with another sum of cash, the business The main business has been confirmed. Then, guess Mr. Buffett, how do they spend the cash?"

"Haha, Mr. Lin is the stock god! When they repurchased the stock, I actually guessed that they were going to distribute ordinary bonuses and special bonuses, so I invested more."

Mr. Lin said: "So, if investors can get dividends and the stock price can rise, this stock is naturally worth investing in."

In fact, Lin Zuhui is playing tricks and playing tricks in front of Buffett.

The reason why he invested in General Dynamics was that he had seen a case of Buffett investing in this project in his previous life. Anyway, the purchase price was 72 US dollars per share, and then rose to more than 110 US dollars in a year and a half.

The important thing is that during the period, the dividend per share was as high as more than US$50, the ordinary dividend was more than US$2 per share, and the special bonus was a full US$50.

So Buffett's rate of return on this project is 110%.

Based on this, Lin Zuhui did not hesitate to let New Era Group invest 1 million US dollars.

As for why he didn't invest by himself, Lin Zuhui didn't feel bad at all. In his view, New Times Group was his weapon and shield.

Without a powerful New Era Group, his social status and wealth will not match, and he will be easily targeted at that time.

(End of this chapter)