Foreigners in China are now earning extra cash because real estate companies are tapping them as talents in order to make a sale, especially in rural villages and far-flung counties and provinces.
Caucasian-looking foreigners are the favorites, according the New York Times, and are asked to play the roles of businessmen, diplomats, athletes, and famous celebrities while sales and marketing pitches are being held by the real estate agent.
David Borenstein, a Copenhagen-based filmmaker, pointed out in a New York Times short documentary that the presence of foreigners during the sales events can make a sale for the real estate firms.
Borenstein added that in provinces, seeing the foreign faces, though they were just "actors" and "models," meant "international" and the property should be a "buy" for the Chinese residents.
The short documentary featured in the New York Times is part of Borenstein's feature documentary, "Chinese Dreamland."
Real estate firms in China are doing all they can to halt sharp sales declines. China's biggest real estate firm China Vanke Limited reported a 57.5 percent decline in its first quarter net profit, the Wall Street Journal reported.
China's new property projects dropped 18 percent in the first three months of this year as the economy slows down, resulting in a number of unsold condominiums and other housing units, according to Bloomberg.
