Watch Out...Here comes Chris and his wife!!!

My apologies to those folks that live in Virginia/D.C. and the North Carolina Outer Banks.  Apparently now that we have visited those place everything is falling apart.  First, the Outer Banks are being evacuated for Hurricane Irene and second, the Virginia/D.C. area just got hit by an earthquake.  I promise we had nothing to do with it, and we hope to not lose our friends in that area.

However, not to rub salt in the wounds of those up there, things are going along swimmingly with the rental business for now, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I'll have an interesting story to tell or lesson to learn.  The wrotten food and dildo have been successfully removed from the house I previously mentioned and the home has been rented to the new residents...  Plus a Bonus... the new tenants are building a very nice privacy fence around the backyard (I'm paying half the cost, but nice to have the labor done for me)!

Still struggling with one tenant being late with rent, which is a lesson I learned quickly and now I'm dealing with the consequences.  Never, NEVER allow a tenant to work out a rental payment plan other than what is specifically laid out in the lease.  I could just say forget it and kick them out, but I'm a weenie wanting to help them out.  They are catching up quickly thankfully, but they are on very thin ice.  This is the final time I will ever allow any deviation from the lease. 

Unfortunately, sometimes when you try to help someone out or be flexible people take advantage of you.  In other, unrelated instances I have been taken advantage of and left hanging being owed hundreds or thousands of dollars.  Good and bad has come from these situations.  Good:  I have a spine now and can be firm with people and stick to a lease making life a little easier.  Bad: I can be firm and good people may not be afforded opportunities I once may have been willing to allow in the past, because of the bad people.  Sorry if I sound bitter or harsh, but business is business and I can't allow my livelihood to be ruined by those with a lack of conscience.

Wow... going back and reading that I sound very angry.  Sorry folks...just had to rant a bit.  I promise things are going pretty well right now =)