Ryan spent the entire day being shown various houses by a real estate agent, including places in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and North Hollywood. They pretty much toured the entire area.
Oh, by the way, the real estate agent was recommended by Helen.
However, Ryan wasn’t looking for a mansion, just a well-secured standalone apartment.
In fact, Ryan had just set his sights on an apartment in North Hollywood. It was quite spacious, with three floors, luxurious decor, and a high wall surrounding it for privacy, which he found very appealing.
However, the rent for this apartment was steep—$3,300 per month, which made Ryan roll his eyes.
This was 1994, and a monthly rent of $3,300 was ridiculously high. He flatly refused the agent’s offer.
The real estate agent looked disappointed but continued to show him other suitable apartments.
Finally, in the northern part of Burbank, bordered by the famous San Fernando Valley to the north and North Hollywood to the west, Ryan found a very nice apartment. It was two stories, entirely wooden, with a simple design, and about 130 square meters in size.
Most importantly, the apartment was a standalone unit with a small garden of about 60 square meters in the front yard and a high wooden fence for privacy.
What pleased Ryan most was the garden, filled with evergreen plants.
Of course, following the customs of his previous life, he could replace the plants with tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables, and plant a large jujube or apricot tree.
Additionally, the surrounding area had convenient transportation, being only five to six minutes from the California section of Interstate 5 and about ten minutes from the San Fernando Valley.
There were plenty of large supermarkets nearby, making shopping very convenient.
Moreover, it was only about 20 kilometers from Los Angeles, making transportation very convenient.
The rent was also very reasonable—only $800 per month, a price so low it was hard to believe.
Even in 1994, finding a standalone apartment like this in Burbank for such a price was impossible, even with a thorough search.
Low price, large area, convenient transportation.
Yet this apartment had remained unoccupied for a long time, which was suspicious.
Looking at the apartment, although it lacked luxurious features like a swimming pool, it was simple and spacious. Ryan nodded to himself, feeling quite satisfied.
However, the real estate agent reminded him, “Mr. Ryan, although this apartment is very nice and the rent is cheap.”
“Out of respect for Helen, I must tell you that I don’t recommend renting this apartment.”
“Why not?”
“Or rather, what’s wrong with this apartment?”
The real estate agent shrugged and pointed to a room on the second floor, saying, “A few months ago, there was a murder here.”
“The owner went bankrupt and, in a drunken state, first shot his girlfriend and then himself.”
“And, as far as I know, this apartment has had multiple suicides and even rumors of being cursed by a witch.”
Since the real estate agent was recommended by Helen, he felt obligated to disclose this to Ryan.
“Last month, the owner’s sister came from Australia, did some basic renovations, and handed the apartment over to the real estate company.”
“Unfortunately, this made the news, and despite the low rent, no one is interested.”
It’s not just Americans who are superstitious; people worldwide are. No one wants to live in a place where a murder occurred, especially one with multiple suicides.
Moreover, there’s the rumor of a witch’s curse.
In America, the curse of a witch is notorious, and with the recent hype around “The Blair Witch,” no wonder the apartment remained unoccupied.
Another reason is that this is a wealthy area, and those who can afford to rent here usually won’t opt for a place with such a history, even if it’s cheap.
Hearing this, Ryan glanced at the second floor. He didn’t feel any eerie vibes; it seemed quite ordinary.
Most people wouldn’t consider renting such an apartment, no matter how cheap the rent.
But Ryan was thinking about something else. “Saw” could be filmed here, and it could be a great selling point.
A murder scene!
An apartment with multiple suicides!
Rumored to be cursed by a witch!
A perfect haunted house, a rare find.
Oh, correction, a perfect place to shoot a horror film.
As for living there, Ryan could tolerate it. In his previous life, how many old houses had he lived in where someone hadn’t died?
If he worried about that, he’d never find a suitable place.
Besides, after filming, he could always move to a different apartment.
“A great haunted house.”
“Lower the rent to $500, and I’ll take it.”
Looking at the apartment, Ryan felt it was perfect for filming “Saw.”
What better publicity than a haunted house?
The real estate agent looked at Ryan in surprise. What did he mean by a great haunted house?
Did he like haunted houses?
However, being a competent real estate agent, he didn’t refuse the request.
“$500 a month is too low, at least $650 a month, and you need to pay a year’s rent upfront.”
Ryan didn’t haggle and agreed readily.
“Alright, we can sign the contract now.”
“I want to move in as soon as possible to get a feel for it,” Ryan said thoughtfully.
What?
Get a feel for it!
The real estate agent’s face changed. Did he want to experience a murder scene or the rumored witch’s curse? Thinking of the recent witch hoax, he glanced at Ryan and thought, another witch-chasing idiot. Hopefully, he wouldn’t wet his pants in fear at night. He should warn Helen not to stay there overnight.
Hmm, it’s best not to come here even during the day.
“No problem, we can complete all the paperwork today.”
“The place was cleaned a few days ago, so you can move in anytime.”
No matter which real estate company it was, the process for a haunted house was always swift, with no delays.
To prevent the customer from changing their mind.
That afternoon, Ryan signed a formal lease with the real estate company, paying $7,800 for a year’s rent, which stung a bit.
The only good part was that he got the keys to the apartment and could move in anytime.
That evening, Ryan hired a moving company to bring over some belongings. As his assistant-cum-laborer, Sofia Coppola became the first guest.
Of course, aside from being a guest, she also had to help with unpacking.
Actually, Ryan didn’t have many personal items, just a few clothes and some small filming equipment and editing tools that needed the moving company’s assistance.
It took over an hour to finish.
Sofia Coppola, exhausted and without a trace of her usual grace, lay sprawled on the living room sofa, constantly complaining, “I shouldn’t have listened to Helen and applied to be your assistant.”
“These tasks should be done by your girlfriend or a maid, not an assistant.”
Ryan spread his hands, helplessly saying, “Sorry, I don’t have a girlfriend for now, nor enough time to find a maid.”
“Besides, as a friend, you should feel honored to be my first guest.”
“Yes, a very distinguished guest.”
Sofia Coppola rolled her eyes at this. Laborer was more like it, not a distinguished guest. What host makes their guest do the work?
“So, as a distinguished guest, shouldn’t the host treat me to a celebration?”
Ryan readily agreed, “No problem, we can head out now.”