Treaspassers Will Be Violated

As I approached the front door I knew something was not quite right. I could just sense it. I knocked. Not a sound could be heard. I made the decision to enter the home since the tenant had not paid rent and it would appear that he had moved. No big deal I have done this many times before. It was then I noticed the hand written sign beside the door, "Trespassers will be Violated." I laughed. Did he mean to say it that way?

I put the key in the deadbolt lock, gently turned the key and began to open the door. BOOM! The entire steel door fell backwards flat on the floor. Now ordinarily, these kinds of things don't bother me much. But I was so caught off guard by this that I screamed like a little girl. Then I laughed. Laughed a lot. Ok, it's just a door. But as always, I was in a hurry and now I have to deal with this broken door not to mention the mess inside. The tenant busted out the entire door jam and left. Looks like another $300 because someone just didn't care.

Although I can never explain why some people live the way they do, like in this case, but I suppose it does give guys like me employment. Another day, another mess to clean up.

Tenants Getting Screwed

Hard to believe that I, as a landlord, think that tenants are getting screwed. Usually a landlord gets a bad rap as the "slumlord" for not taking care of a property when in fact the tenants have destroyed the home. Like the lady who was complaining of mold in her home when in fact she never reported the toilet leaking and also never and I mean never, cleaned the bathroom in over a year. What does one expect?

But this time, in this one event, tenants are getting the shaft. Investors that thought real estate was the best get quick scheme out there, many flocked to the market buying homes and then renting the properties to make huge profits. Then the unthinkable has happened. The market went down.

So many so called "investors" got stuck with poor investments from their own bad choices and thus here comes the bad guys taking the homes back; those nasty lenders. Since the would-be-investors couldn't make the payments, the tenants get screwed finding out they have to move out with virtually no notice. Shame on them.

It is one thing when notice is given to a tenant to move, but when a foreclosure happens the tenants could be out on the street even though they had paid their payments on time. In this ever changing environment, it is becoming possible for tenants wanting information about the landlord/owner and their financial position. It has always been assumed that the landlord owned the home and as long as the tenants took care of the property and paid the rent on time all was fine. But with this new breed of investors out there, tenants need to be cautious who they rent from or they possibly could be out on the street with no fault of their own.

Grease is Normal Wear and Tear

As a landlord, I am constantly hearing tenants tell me what is "normal wear and tear". It is so funny what people come up with when they are desperate. Here are a few recent tenant statements when they had just moved out about their final walkthru:

1. "Burn holes in the carpet since it is ok to smoke in the home."

2. "I had to move the fridge and just because there is a 2 foot tear in the vinyl, you should not charge me because it is normal wear and tear."

3. "Those grease hand prints on the wall are totally normal wear and tear."

4. "Doesn't everybody park in the front yard?" (killed the grass and major ruts)

5. "You were going to clean the carpets anyway, right?"

6. "That hole in the wall was an accident. You can't charge me for accidents."

7. "The wind just blew the storm door right off the home."

8. "Those were not my fleas. They must have come in right after I left"

9. "It was that way (damaged items, many) when we moved in" (it was a brand new home)

10. And my favorite, "If you won't charge me now, I will come back and clean it next week"

There are thousands more, and each time it keeps getting better. I don't understand why people won't take responsibility for their own actions. That's why we document everything.

I have no doubt there will be more to come!

Paul

Change is hard.

Everyday things change. The weather, the tire pressure in my truck that for some reason keeps going down, my grass which is finally starting to come back, and of course our business. It is amazing to me how the real estate business has changed in the last several years; months for that matter.

I was teaching a class this morning to real estate agents about how to use our MLS computer system. Questions were being asked just like normal, until one woman wanted to know more about how to "sell" real estate. It was interesting because of the fact that when you get right down to it, we sell homes just the way we always have thru personal relationships. With all of the internet technology and Web 2.0 which gives us ways to make ourselves more exposed, it is still a relationship business. I love the internet and the new emerging technology that is out there which constantly changes. It is difficult if not impossible to keep up with it all, but it sure is fun trying.

But when it comes to the actual selling of real estate do we need all of this technology? Absolutely. We need it because our clients demand it and quite frankly, they deserve it. The old way of just putting a sign up in a yard, running a newspaper ad (which never really worked anyway), and putting it in the multi-list system is just not enough.

Many agents out there struggle because they don't embrace the "changed" way of doing business. A super duper great friend of mine said, "it is all in video," and she is right. Video is the way to go because it makes it personal for buyers to see what they are buying and see everything they are buying, not just a few still photos taken at strategic angles.

Change. A hard thing for all of us, well, maybe not so hard. Or at least it doesn't have to be. We as agents just need to embrace change and look at it as a great opportunity rather than a curve ball.

I hate "busy"

What does “busy” mean anyway? Constantly I hear, “I would have done that or been there but I was busy.” Busy? Seems like it is the new buzzword that everyone is using when in actuality they just forgot or it was not high on their priority list. Why is it that by saying "I was busy" that all of the sudden everyone else is suppose to understand that and say, “Oh, I am so sorry I didn’t realize that you were busy.”

I went to have my truck serviced and it was supposed to be done in a few hours. When I called 6 hours later, I was told, “well it is not done yet because we got busy.” What does that mean! Does it meant that everyone else was more important that me? Or is it easier to say that phrase than the real truth; they screwed up and overbooked their appointments.

Webster defines busy as "engaged in action" or "full of distracting detail." Dizmang defines it as "I have more important things in front of you."

We are all busy doing something and to put one’s importance over another and then trying to cover it up is not appropriate. Why can’t we just tell it how it really is. I think most people would understand better and be just fine with the truth.

So you will never hear me say, I couldn’t do that or do this because I was busy. You might however hear me say, I would have done it quicker but had to stay in the bathroom longer than expected due to the Mexican Buffett.

I can't believe I went to a Midnight Movie

I love to go to the movies but I never do. It is just one of those things that I just never seem to have time to do. Believe it or not, I see the larger silver screen about once per year usually on a holiday or something like that. But tonight it was Bourne Ultimatum night. http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/thebourneultimatum/

This is one of those guy kind of movies. Lots of action, car chases and crashes, special effects, and one tough dude. One cannot miss that! So, I made a pot of coffee, drank it to stay awake and off I went. It is now 2:30 a.m. and I am pumped (probably mostly pumped full of caffeine) so I can't sleep.

I loved it. Not much on dialogue, my wife would probably hate it, but I want to see it again and I never do that. If you have not seen the previous 2 movies, I recommend that you do before seeing this one or it won't make quite as much sense. Then again, anyone going to a midnight movie and then getting up at 5:45 am for work the next day doesn't have much sense anyway.

Hope you enjoy it!

I Never Return Phone Calls

Each day I receive over 100 emails, 30 to 50 phone calls, and numerous people in and out of the office each and every day. No big deal really, a typical day for a real estate investment specialist and property manager.

Today, was no different. Unfortunately, since it is impossible for me to talk everyone at one time, the caller has to leave a message in my voice mail. I hate that, but it is the best option I have. What is so funny are the people who leave messages like, "I have called 4 times and you have not called me back; what kind of business are you running?" "Do you ever return calls?" My favorite, "Hey Paul, are you still alive, I have called 4 times in the last hour and you still have not called me back." In all of these cases, the caller forgot one important fact; they never left their phone number! I had no way to contact them.

I am so amazed at the number of people that take the time to leave a message and yet not leave a return phone number. What does one do? I think I just need to change my voicemail message to, "Hi this is Paul, please leave your name and number, or you are an idiot."