Hundreds of homebuyers stood in a long line at the sales center of a housing estate in Futian District for hours Sunday, only to find out that the developer was not ready to showcase the apartments available for purchase, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.
A resident surnamed Li said she had been waiting in the line, which stretched more than 300 meters, since 6 a.m. Sunday. She was notified by the developer of the housing estate that the sales center would be open to receive homebuyers that day.
“There was nothing inside the sales center, not even models of the buildings or floor plans,” Li said when she exited the sales center at 10:50 a.m.
“We waited for hours and they did not let us in until 10:30 a.m.,” said Li, adding that many homebuyers like her were venting their dissatisfaction with the developer at the sales center.
Many homebuyers complained that the developer should not have sent them the notice to come to the sales center if they were not ready.
What the homebuyers cared about the most was whether the apartments included a school slot, as the estate is located near a well-known senior high school. However, the salesmen failed to answer any of their questions.
The housing estate is popular because its price is set lower than the market price. According to the report, the average price of a pre-owned apartment in the housing estate’s first phase is over 90,000 yuan (US$13,585) per square meter.
The average price of the apartments in the second phase was announced at only 78,700 yuan per square meter.