America's Road to Wealth

"...What a beautiful house."

Looking at the beautiful Gothic castle standing white on the green grass in front.

Monica Cruz couldn't help but said with emotion.

Next to the Spanish model stood her sister Penelope Cruz.

And Sophie Marceau from France.

It was already noon on the second day after they arrived from France.

They followed Abel and left No. 1, Palace Garden Street, Kensington, and arrived at Twickenham, Richmond upon Thames, London.

The exact address is 268 Waldegrave Road, Fourth Street, Twickenham, London.

This is where Strawberry Hill House was built more than 200 years ago by the British writer Horace Walpole, the son of the first prime minister in British history.

Looking at the beautiful castle in front of me that has been almost repaired and full of medieval classical temperament.

Forget about Monica Cruz.

Even Sophie Marceau's beautiful eyes were full of brilliance.

At this time, the black female assistant who was not liked by Sophie suddenly whispered to the three of them:

"Ladies, the boss has said it. If you come to London in the future, you can stay here."

"Is this true?" Penelope said with some surprise.

Such a big, beautiful house with such an important location.

Even a successful female star would be excited to live here.

In Hua Xia's words, she would be like a second-tier female star who suddenly heard from her lover that she could live in a courtyard at the level of a well-known prince's palace in the imperial capital.

Living in a place like this is no longer a matter of comfort.

But ordinary people will have a psychological jump when they live in such a place.

What's more, in fact, as long as you are willing to spend money, no matter where you live, there will be someone who can take care of you comfortably.

"Yes." said the black female assistant.

Seeing her confirmation, Penelope's happy eyes turned to Abel who was not far away.

The Spanish national treasure goddess was thinking:

[It’s not in vain that I persuaded my sister to accompany you... Hehe, Monica, I’m just helping you! 】

Why did Penelope bring her sister Monica from France to England yesterday?

Of course I didn’t bring my sister here for a trip.

In the eyes of Sophie Marceau, this Spanish actress is very "American", very commercial, and very Hollywood.

She knew her worth to Abel.

Use sex to serve people.

Since it is Israel serving people, it is valuable at this stage.

Penelope felt that this was what she should do most to improve her "sexuality" as much as possible and win Abel's heart.

So she tried hard to convince her equally beautiful sister.

When two sisters go together, their values ​​will enhance each other.

Thinking of last night, my sister politely thanked Abel for her joy in front of him, and she looked so happy now.

Penelope felt that she had done nothing wrong.

What happened to two sisters with the same man?

As long as this man can support them, Penelope thinks it doesn't matter at all.

Among the lions on the African grasslands, the strongest male lion can dominate a dozen strong female lions and reproduce a large number of cubs.

This is the law of nature, and Penelope takes it for granted.

Haven't you seen that even the proud French Kiss next to you looks like he can't wait to move in right now?

Human women have a strong desire to pursue a house that can provide a sense of security and belonging, no matter which ethnic group they are.

Just like birds, for many birds, the better the male bird can build a beautiful nest, the easier it is to win the favor of female birds.

Even Sophie Marceau is no exception.

It's just that her vision and requirements are relatively high, and modern mansions are unlikely to attract her.

Strawberry Hill Manor is a castle and manor that has cultural characteristics and a long history. It was once the residence of celebrities.

Only then could it hit her heart directly.

The more she thought about it, the more infatuated Penelope looked at Abel.

At this time, Abel was looking at Penelope with watery eyes.

He was speaking to Lawrence Eagleburger, director of New Beginnings Real Estate (UK).

British New Starting Real Estate Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American New Starting Real Estate Company.

Like its head office in the United States, New Starting Real Estate in the United Kingdom also focuses on the acquisition and purchase of high-end real estate as its main business.

In fact, it’s not just Newstart Real Estate in the UK.

There are already subsidiaries of New Starting Point Real Estate Company in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Asia.

Even Huaxia, under the action of Smith Capital (China), established a company last year to acquire Imperial Courtyards...

Over in China, foreigners are very strict about purchasing real estate and cannot be too blatant about it.

Americans say Abel Smith is the craziest luxury home buyer in the world, and they are absolutely right.

Because he bought luxury homes in more than one place in the United States.

In major well-known cities around the world, or in emerging areas.

You can see New Starting Real Estate everywhere, waving checks and contracts to buy houses everywhere.

The Strawberry Hill Villa in front of you is a first-class historical building in the UK. It covers an area of ​​35.7 hectares in a typical wealthy area like Richmond, London.

Even in the UK, it is an outstanding mansion.

Strawberry Hill has 12 bedrooms, a lake, an orangery, a ballroom, cellars and a cricket pitch.

The history can be traced back to 1765. Except for the different style, it is no worse than the castle mansion in the "Downton Abbey" film and television series.

This location is a key location, and it is also a place where historical celebrities lived.

It should have been sold very expensively.

But Abel didn’t spend much money to win Strawberry Villa.

Actually, the price of buying a castle estate in the UK is not expensive.

The key is that not everyone can afford to keep them after buying them.

The English Historic and Cultural Heritage Council, which is responsible for, managing and monitoring these castles and estates, has strict restrictions on the renovation and addition of houses in these castles and estates.

After buying it, the castle owner also needs to conduct a comprehensive structural and maintenance inspection of the house every year.

Failure to do so will result in a warning from British History and Culture Research.

After too many warnings, the owner still doesn’t respond.

It can be mentioned to the British Crown and then recovered by the country.

As for the maintenance of these castle estates, some of them are in disrepair. Even if all the rooms are painted, it may cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Those manor castles in more remote locations, covering an area of ​​dozens of hectares, have asking prices of only one to two million pounds.

Converted into RMB, they are not even as expensive as a three-bedroom apartment in the city center of any first-tier city in China more than ten years later.

However, it is almost difficult to sell such castle estates, as there are many listings on the market.

Even foreigners can easily buy it as long as they are willing to spend money to buy it.

The reason for this is that even though these castles and manors have changed owners several times, they have almost never been completely repaired.

It is possible that a castle estate that sells for 2 million pounds will simply undergo a comprehensive renovation after buying it.

This expenditure would require millions of pounds, or even millions of pounds.

That's it, not counting the cost of maintaining the castle and manor in the future.

Like Abel's Strawberry Villa, it has all kinds of attributes.

It is considered to be one of the best-quality castles and estates in the UK.

But to win it, Abel actually only spent 15 million pounds.

And since last year, the money spent on maintaining and repairing it has almost exceeded 15 million pounds.

Apart from these, even if Abel does not stay in it.

The weekly consumption cost of this mansion will still be as high as about 5,000 pounds, not counting labor costs.

If Abel wanted to move in, including labor costs, the minimum cost would be 50,000 pounds per week.

In the UK, there are very few nobles who can afford to maintain a manor without working.

Many British aristocrats whose ancestors were once glorious but are now desperate have been forced to hand over their ancestral homes and properties to the National Trust.

It is because the sky-high consumption of these castles and manors is really beyond the reach of ordinary people.

If you want to use the castle to generate income, such as collecting tickets or something.

The procedures will be very hectic, and approval needs to be submitted to the British government, and then tax will be paid on the ticket income.

You may be working so hard that you don’t make much money, and you have to pay taxes and subsidies for more maintenance and labor costs.

What's more, there are too many castles in Britain. So if the castle has no story, doing this kind of fancy work is basically a money-losing business.

The British inheritance tax is still very severe. Nobles with better economic conditions have to sell off their family collections to raise taxes when they inherit property.

As for those declining aristocratic families, they would rather hand over these castles and estates to the national trust than choose to inherit them.

Because for them, these castle estates that can only spend money but cannot make money are simply negative assets and will definitely drag them down.

Over time, this kind of castle estate, which symbolized wealth and status in the past, naturally became less and less valuable.

Even Britain's National Trust and the Historical and Cultural Institute are more than happy to get rid of them.

Because even if repairs and maintenance are kept to a minimum, it is very expensive.

Last year, I first saw how beautiful Strawberry Hill Villa was after its renovation, and how cheap this old castle manor was.

In the beginning, Abel had the mentality of building a house.

Later he discovered that it was useless to collect these things, and they had no possibility of appreciation at all.

In the end, he gave up and just bought a Strawberry Villa, intending to stay there occasionally after repairing it.

"...Continue with the acquisition. Later I will ask David to transfer another amount of funds into the account of New Starting Real Estate."

After listening to Lawrence Eagleberg's "complaint", Abel smiled and said softly.

Yes, Lawrence Eagleberg is here to complain.

To be precise, I came to ask for money.

Because the British New Starting Point Real Estate Company has been established for almost a year.

So far, it has successively acquired a large number of high-end properties and real estate.

Any one of these acquisitions is worth millions or even tens of millions of pounds.

After more than a year, the acquisition costs, as well as real estate taxes and other expenses, added up to an astronomical figure.

At the beginning of the company's establishment, the 1 billion pounds allocated by Abel had almost been spent.

Although some houses and properties have been rented out, a monthly rent can be collected.

But these rents are only enough to keep the company running and pay property taxes.

If you want to continue to acquire properties, you will be unable to do so.

Abel’s solution is simple: allocate funds.

It's still 2002, and the global economy will continue to grow for many years.

Even the horrific 2008 crisis will be mitigated and postponed.

Until 2016, buying a house in major popular areas around the world, even if inflation and real estate taxes are included, will still be a stable and good business with an annualized rate of return of at least 10%.

In addition, Abel likes to buy a house wherever he goes...

It is both liveable and has investment value, and can also be used to attract girls. Of course, I will continue to invest money in it.

What's more, this time Neon people and international bulls gave him so much money.

It would be perfect to spend billions of pounds or dollars to buy some houses.

Finished dealing with Lawrence Eagleberg.

Not long after, a new subordinate came to Strawberry Villa to report to Abel.

Not like Lawrence Eagleberg.

The subordinate behind him is one of the famous figures in Britain and Europe.

“Wow, is that Bernie Eccles?”

Not far away, led by the housekeeper.

Monica Cruz, who was studying and watching Strawberry Hill Villa, couldn't help but whisper.

She saw the president of F1, Bernie Ecclestone, a very famous tycoon in the UK and Europe, standing next to Abel with a submissive look.

Don't look at Bernie Ecclestone, Abel has taken away control and ownership of F1.

But because he was still in position, and the incident was not reported much.

Bernie Ecclestone is particularly good at marketing and often appears on the news and television in Europe.

At this moment, he is still the shining super rich man, the head of F1.

Seeing her sister like this, Penelope, who knew some things about F1, began to teach her little sister again.

"Monica, let me tell you! F1 traffic jam is actually our men's industry now! Bernie Ecclestone, he is working for our men now!"

"Wow!" Monica Cruz was surprised.

Sophie Marceau looked at Penelope who took her sister into the water with some contempt.

But there was some feeling of envy in her heart.

Sophie doesn't have a beautiful sister like Monica.

"I appreciate your ambition, but you know, it's not that easy to make Americans like F1."

"It takes years of marketing, advertising, and some opportunities to hopefully get more Americans to pay attention to F1 racing."

A corner of the lawn.

Abel said to Bernie Ecclestone, who was once arrogant and now a wise man.

Bernie Eccles comes over here.

Mainly I want to discuss it with Abel, or I hope Abel can help open up the market for F1 racing cars in the United States.

Yes, that’s right, the United States has the most developed car culture and is known as the “country on wheels.”

It is this country on wheels, but it is also the grave of F1.

In other places in the world, when an F1 racing driver appears, he will definitely be praised by the stars. But in the United States, perhaps no one recognizes Schumacher even when he walks on the street.

As the most traditional and prestigious motorsport in the world, F1 has never been able to open up the market in the United States.

In the past few years, F1 racing in the United States even stopped for almost 10 years.

The impact and revenue since the return to Indianapolis have also been poor.

Only half of the fans who go to Polis Circuit to watch the F1 race are Americans...the other half are the real F1 racing fans from all over the world who come here to watch it.

What’s even funnier is that American car manufacturers are almost not involved in F1, except for Ford, which once had a little involvement with F1.

General Motors, Cadillac, Chevrolet, etc., none of these car brands that are household names in the United States and once ranked among the best in the world in terms of sales have even looked at F1.

It's not that Americans don't like racing, but that Americans like racing differently from other countries.

Savage, rough, and exciting forms of performance are what Americans like best. Like NASCAR, like monster trucks.

"But I will support you. Who said I am the boss of F1 now?"

Abel smiled and said: "Go and contact Michael Levine of Smith Media. Smith Media will help the F1 arena expand its influence in the United States as much as possible."

"In addition, you can also try to contact General Motors and Ford and provide them with some conveniences to see if they can join. I will give you the contact information of the CEOs of these companies."

"Well...I'm their director."

Bernie Ecclestone was overjoyed to hear Abel say this.

China has a "flaw in its ointment".

It means that the two absolute big countries, the United States and China, are in a mess in terms of their football strength and industry.

These are the two largest single markets in the world, but World Football Federation cannot take advantage of them...

Fortunately, the United States has developed somewhat since then. The World Cup was watched by 20 million people, and it has always been a happy place for international football.

Because in fact, the United States is the nursing home with the "oldest history" of international football, and superstars such as Pele and Cruyff have played their remaining talents in the United States.

In parallel time and space, future superstars such as Beckham, Henry, and Kaká also went to the United States to retire.

In contrast, China's football... later even forced FIFA to find ways to modify the rules in order to let China enter the World Cup.

FIFA tries to influence and appeal to Chinese people through the World Cup, enhance Chinese people's love for football, and facilitate FIFA to make money from Chinese people. It can be said that FIFA has sinister intentions.

Fortunately, China has the protection of China (sea) feet (ginseng).

They understand FIFA’s sinister intentions. If they don’t get fooled, they will misbehave. If they don’t score goals, they won’t be able to go to the World Cup...

In fact, the same applies to F1 racing. It now attaches great importance to the United States, just as FIFA attaches great importance to China in the future.

Now there is finally hope that with the help of Abel, we can really try to open up the US market.

Bernie Ecclestone was excited.

The old man is even a little glad that Abel has become the real boss of the F1 car.

"Oh~ BOSS." This proud little old man was convinced for the first time, "I believe that with your support, we will definitely succeed. Let the roar of F1 racing engines resound over the North American racetracks."

After getting rid of the overly enthusiastic Bernie Ecclestone, Abel had time to pay attention to Sophie Marceau and the others.

By this time, it was already afternoon.