Same-Same

A regular month of regular activities.  Every day is different but all in all month after month is the same.  The same problems with different names to them.  This month with lots of rain and the normal amount of leaky roofs with water in basements.  Same people to slow pay.  Same people that pay in advance paid in advance.  Doesn't sound too exciting.  I never get too comfortable, because as soon as I do something happens.

Girl in a Towel

Sunday evening at 5 p.m. I am heading out the door to go to a wake.  The visitation is from 4 to 8 p.m. and I am already late.  My phone rings a new tenant does not have any hot water.  I asked her to check the fuse box.  That seemed to be ok.  I was heading in that general direction, so I told her that I would be by in a little bit.  I picked up my son on the way in case the heater needed to be lit.  So far, I have avoided learning how to do that.  After checking the hot water heater and discovered that it was electric and did not have a pilot light to be lit.  We decided that we should check the fuse box ourselves.  Met at the door by a young co-ed wrapped in only a towel (she decided to give herself a bath by heating up hot water on the stove) she showed us to the fuse box.  Everything looked fine there so back to the basement.  As we were leaving the apartment, I glanced over at my son and just the ever so slight smile was on his face, thinking about the girl in the towel I imagine....  I did not say a word.  Anyway we took the covers off the heater and found a red button to push, which we did, heard a little hum and decided it was working.  Put the covers back on and told her to call me tomorrow if was not working.  So far no calls, so I am assuming that it is working.

Son did stop by the office today and offered to do any maintenance required at that apartment if I needed him too.  It was cute.

Evil or Not

About 3 weeks ago, I heard from an anonymous scource that I was "evil" and "preyed on poor people".  I felt like I had been punched in the stomach.  I was numb of all feeling and my fragile self-esteem took a really big hit.  How could that be?  I take great pride in providing the cleanest most efficient  properties in town.  I answer service calls immediately.  I I feel like a mother to all of them, reminding them to cut their grass, pick up their trash, and if they cann't get to it, I do it for them.  I encourage them to be good neighbors. I brag on their children. I know stuff happens and people get behind for one reason or another.  If they are sincere; I will work with them, when they get behind,  There is a limit to how much I can do before it starts effecting my ability to pay my bills.  If I can not pay my bills, then I will not have a place for them to live.   Then who gets hurt?  We are all dependent on each other.   Kind of like the "circle of life".  What goes around comes around.

Having said all this, I realize that I am not "evil".   I help poor people by providing good clean housing.  And that I will NEVER be able to please everyone.!

On The Move

Taxes have been filed.  Refunds are here. This is always a typical time of year for people to move into their first apartment/house or maybe to improve their living conditions.  I have given a couple of kids their first chance at living out of their parents home.  We talk about expected utility bills, I caution them to not be late on their first rent payment.  I look at their employment pay stubs.  I much prefer to suggest that they find something a little more in their price range than ask them to leave later.  I hope it works for them.  I hope it works for me.  That's all I can do!

Move-out Day

Move-out Day, I love these days when we finish a rehab and load up all the supplies and take them to the warehouse.  The windows are clean, the floors are polished and the smell of the new carpet and new kitchen cabinets permeate through out the house.  Let's see now, how many times have  I done a complete rehab on this particular house.  I can think of at least 3, well maybe that's not to bad for 9 years.  We're ready to start again looking for that perfect tenant!

What's next?

It's been over a month since I  last wrote in my blog and to be honest with you I still do not have a positive thought to write about.  This is what's going on..

1. Tenants have lost their jobs.
2. Tenants can not find new  jobs.
3. Tenants unemployment has not kicked in yet.
4. Tenants are waiting for financial help from government agencies.
5. Tenants  are waiting for tax refunds.
6. Tenants are now behind 2 months on their rent.

Where does that leave a barely gettin by landlord.......in a panic.  Anxious to find new ways to cut expenses and ways to increase income.  I haven't figured out how to increase income but to cut expenses I have:

1. Traded a truck for labor.
2. Got my family to volunteer labor.
3. Traded a rental debt for labor.
4. Learned to paint myself.
5. Worked late to keep up with the bookkeeping.
6. Prayed.

I am fortunate in that I am able to think outside of the box.  But what about the tenants!  What's next?

The Talking House

I've been working on a house this week while I had some free help.  As my sister in law and I were painting, she says,  "it's amazing what you can learn about people just by painting their house."  "What do you mean," I asked.  She replied, "well look at this door jamb.  This door has obviously been kicked in. The people living here had violent tendencies".  I hadn't told her anything about the past tenants, but she was right.!  If these walls could talk?  I think they just did.