After getting off to a slow (lazy) start this week, I got a lot of things done today. This morning, I paid rental bills and took care of some personal stuff. Then, I went to the bank and post office. My first work project of the day was to show my 3 bedroom house to a possible tenant and then to remove all the carpet pads from the house (I removed the carpet the other day). I found that one of the bedrooms had a good wood floor under the carpet and pad. I'll paint the floor in that room. The living room and other bedrooms did not have floors suitable for painting, so I'll replace the carpet in those rooms (without carpet pad).
The rain decided to hold off, so I decided to mow some grass this afternoon. I managed to mow the grass at 2 apartment buildings and 1 house.
The next task was to have a stern talk with one of my tenants who was involved in a big brawl last night. I don't know what it is with low income tenants, but a bunch of young adults decided that they were going to have a brawl last night. The police were on the street for 2 1/2 hours trying to break this up and they cited several people for various infractions. One of my tenants was involved and I told him today that any further problems from him would result in eviction!
I received a call from a woman that was looking for a one-bedroom apartment. I showed her my only vacant one-bedroom apartment and she said that she'll take it. I gave her an application and she's supposed to return the application tomorrow along with the paperwork from the government agency that is paying her first month's rent.
About the time I got home, it started to rain - so there will be no bike ride today!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Let the Mountain Biking Begin!
It FINALLY dried up enough to actually ride a local mountain biking course today! So, I spent about 10 minutes changing a broken lock on a rental and the rest of the day doing personal tasks. My number one priority today was mountain biking. Number two was to get some work done on my pickup truck. I went to Walmart to get the work done on the pickup. That consisted of getting an oil change; getting new windshield wipers; and having a tire repaired (or should I say replaced). The tire had been slowly leaking due to a screw that was imbedded in the tire. However, when they took the tire off to repair it, they discovered that there was also a nail in the sidewall of the tire. The sidewall could not be patched, so I had to get a new tire. I know what you're thinking - that an irate tenant sabotaged the tire. However, I don't believe that's the case. I think this is just one of those road hazards that strike once in a while.
As all these things were being repaired, I walked over to a local sporting goods store and bought an AirSoft Handgun. This CO2 powered handgun is very similar to my concealed carry gun and I will be using it to practice in the house. As with many things in life, training is a critical issue when you're dealing with handguns. I wanted an airsoft gun to practice drawing and firing my handgun and I can do that a LOT cheaper and more often with the airsoft gun than with my .40 Caliber Baretta. Although slightly lighter than my Baretta, it is otherwise nearly identical to my Baretta in size and function. Of course, in addition to the practice aspect of the gun, it's fun!
My decision to buy the AirSoft gun for training purposes was partially due to an incident that occurred on Sunday. Here's my account of that incident:
I carry my handgun almost all the time. I work with a lot of riff-raff in my business and have evicted literally dozens of criminals and deadbeats over the years. I never know when I am going to meet one of these losers who wants to blame me for their situation (being homeless, put in prison, etc). In addition, some of my low income rentals are in relatively bad areas and there is occassional violence (usually among the riff-raff).
Sunday was Mother's Day. I wasn't working and wasn't planning to be in any public areas as my wife and I were going to a relative's house for a family gathering. After we left the house, my wife reminded me that we needed to stop by a convenience store to pickup one of their delicious salads. We were already running a little late and I wasn't very happy about it. We stopped at the convenience store/gas station and my wife went inside to get the salad. After an extended period of time, I went into the store to see what the delay was. I was thinking about the time and I was also perturbed that some moron had parked parallel to the convenience store door, blocking several parking spots. So, in the store I went and I asked my wife what was going on. Instead of answering my question, she asked "do you have your gun"? WHAT??? I asked, "what are you talking about"? She told me to look at the checkout counter and sure enough a loud and angry conversation was going on between some very iffy looking people and the clerk. These were the people from the oddly parked car just outside the door. MY HANDGUN WAS IN THE TRUCK! As it turned out, the people must have had their credit card declined and were yelling at the clerk about it (as if that would help). They ended up getting in their car and leaving without paying for the gas and the clerk called the sheriff.
Everything ended up being ok and obviously no-one was hurt. However, this was certainly a good opportunity for self-critique. I did just about EVERYTHING wrong in this situation. First, I wasn't wearing my gun, because I didn't think I would be exposed to the public. The lesson here is that you just never know when a dangerous situation will occur. I was so distracted by being late and the delay in getting the salad, that I lost situational awareness. The car parked parallel to the store, blocking several spots should have been a red flag that something wasn't right (think getaway car). In addition, the oddly parked car combined with my wife not returning in a timely manner should have been even more evidence that something might be amiss (maybe a robbery was in progress). Wost of all, I walked in the store (still unarmed even though my gun was in my truck), RIGHT PAST THE PEOPLE WHO WERE YELLING without even noticing because I was so pre-occupied with being late! I've gotta tell you that I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't do better. When I'm working in relatively dangerous areas, I'm always armed and always on guard; trying to maintain good situational awareness. However, yesterday, I let a sense of complacency and a minor distraction completely destroy my situational awareness. I definitely learned a lesson and will strive to do better in the future.
That incident from Sunday reminded me once again that I must take responsibility for my safety. Whether I'm working on my rentals in a low income neighborhood or stopping at the gas station, it is my responsibility to be aware of my surroundings and be prepared to act accordingly should an safety issue arise.
As all these things were being repaired, I walked over to a local sporting goods store and bought an AirSoft Handgun. This CO2 powered handgun is very similar to my concealed carry gun and I will be using it to practice in the house. As with many things in life, training is a critical issue when you're dealing with handguns. I wanted an airsoft gun to practice drawing and firing my handgun and I can do that a LOT cheaper and more often with the airsoft gun than with my .40 Caliber Baretta. Although slightly lighter than my Baretta, it is otherwise nearly identical to my Baretta in size and function. Of course, in addition to the practice aspect of the gun, it's fun!
My decision to buy the AirSoft gun for training purposes was partially due to an incident that occurred on Sunday. Here's my account of that incident:
I carry my handgun almost all the time. I work with a lot of riff-raff in my business and have evicted literally dozens of criminals and deadbeats over the years. I never know when I am going to meet one of these losers who wants to blame me for their situation (being homeless, put in prison, etc). In addition, some of my low income rentals are in relatively bad areas and there is occassional violence (usually among the riff-raff).
Sunday was Mother's Day. I wasn't working and wasn't planning to be in any public areas as my wife and I were going to a relative's house for a family gathering. After we left the house, my wife reminded me that we needed to stop by a convenience store to pickup one of their delicious salads. We were already running a little late and I wasn't very happy about it. We stopped at the convenience store/gas station and my wife went inside to get the salad. After an extended period of time, I went into the store to see what the delay was. I was thinking about the time and I was also perturbed that some moron had parked parallel to the convenience store door, blocking several parking spots. So, in the store I went and I asked my wife what was going on. Instead of answering my question, she asked "do you have your gun"? WHAT??? I asked, "what are you talking about"? She told me to look at the checkout counter and sure enough a loud and angry conversation was going on between some very iffy looking people and the clerk. These were the people from the oddly parked car just outside the door. MY HANDGUN WAS IN THE TRUCK! As it turned out, the people must have had their credit card declined and were yelling at the clerk about it (as if that would help). They ended up getting in their car and leaving without paying for the gas and the clerk called the sheriff.
Everything ended up being ok and obviously no-one was hurt. However, this was certainly a good opportunity for self-critique. I did just about EVERYTHING wrong in this situation. First, I wasn't wearing my gun, because I didn't think I would be exposed to the public. The lesson here is that you just never know when a dangerous situation will occur. I was so distracted by being late and the delay in getting the salad, that I lost situational awareness. The car parked parallel to the store, blocking several spots should have been a red flag that something wasn't right (think getaway car). In addition, the oddly parked car combined with my wife not returning in a timely manner should have been even more evidence that something might be amiss (maybe a robbery was in progress). Wost of all, I walked in the store (still unarmed even though my gun was in my truck), RIGHT PAST THE PEOPLE WHO WERE YELLING without even noticing because I was so pre-occupied with being late! I've gotta tell you that I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't do better. When I'm working in relatively dangerous areas, I'm always armed and always on guard; trying to maintain good situational awareness. However, yesterday, I let a sense of complacency and a minor distraction completely destroy my situational awareness. I definitely learned a lesson and will strive to do better in the future.
That incident from Sunday reminded me once again that I must take responsibility for my safety. Whether I'm working on my rentals in a low income neighborhood or stopping at the gas station, it is my responsibility to be aware of my surroundings and be prepared to act accordingly should an safety issue arise.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Court Date Changed
I received a call from the city prosecutor's office today. She wanted to inform me that the pre-trial for the felon that has been stalking me has officially been moved to June 3rd and the trial is scheduled for June 4th. I also found out that he is charged with a 1st degree misdemeanor of violating a protection order and the maximum sentence is 6 months in jail.
My project of the day was to mow my grass at home; mow the grass at two of my rentals; and haul away some old carpet from a 3 bedroom house that I'm making ready to be re-rented. I also bought some solar powered sidewalk lighting; planted a tomato plant; and did a few other things at home.
I forgot to mention that I once again won't have any evictions this month. I did collect all the rents (along with several late fees), so this month makes the 8th straight month with no evictions. I currently have two rentals that are vacant and ready to be rented.
My project of the day was to mow my grass at home; mow the grass at two of my rentals; and haul away some old carpet from a 3 bedroom house that I'm making ready to be re-rented. I also bought some solar powered sidewalk lighting; planted a tomato plant; and did a few other things at home.
I forgot to mention that I once again won't have any evictions this month. I did collect all the rents (along with several late fees), so this month makes the 8th straight month with no evictions. I currently have two rentals that are vacant and ready to be rented.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Another Look at our Criminal Justice System
I haven't had time to post the past few days. My wife and I took another 3 day weekend and we've been quite busy. We spent most of the day on Friday working on landscaping at our home. Then Saturday, we had a big family gathering during the day and a party for our small group (from Church) in the evening. Today we had another family gathering for Mother's day! It was a busy 3 days.
Before my three day weekend started, I had one last work related issue to take care of. Friday morning was the pre-trial hearing for the Felon that has been stalking me. If you haven't been following my blog, it's a long story. However, the short version is that this loser has a "wrap sheet" of more than 200 criminal offenses, including several felonies. He is now awaiting charges on a felony for an arson and possibly attempted murder in a building next to one of my buildings. I'm the primary witness in that case.
Anyway, this criminal somehow got out of jail a little while back and the same day approached me on the sidewalk in front of one of my buildings, violating the restraining order I have against him. I called the police and he was arrested. He's still in jail awaiting trail on that charge and his pretrial was Friday morning.
I have VERY LITTLE confidence in our criminal justice system, so I called the court to be sure the case was still being held. It was. I arrived at the courthouse about 10 minutes before the case was scheduled to be heard. This is the same courthouse where evictions are heard, so I know all the officers that provide security. Before they screened me, I asked if the case was still on. This criminal is frequently violent and they always have extra security when he is brought to court from the jail. They said that the hearing was still on, but that I needed to check with the main bailiff to determine which courtroom was holding the hearing. So, I went to talk to the bailiff and sure enough - THE PRETRIAL HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL JUNE! I can't tell you how many times I've been subpoened to testify in a criminal trial, only to have it either dropped or postponed! It is VERY FRUSTRATING! The only good thing is that the criminal will be in jail at least until the hearing in June (or at least that's what they said).
Before my three day weekend started, I had one last work related issue to take care of. Friday morning was the pre-trial hearing for the Felon that has been stalking me. If you haven't been following my blog, it's a long story. However, the short version is that this loser has a "wrap sheet" of more than 200 criminal offenses, including several felonies. He is now awaiting charges on a felony for an arson and possibly attempted murder in a building next to one of my buildings. I'm the primary witness in that case.
Anyway, this criminal somehow got out of jail a little while back and the same day approached me on the sidewalk in front of one of my buildings, violating the restraining order I have against him. I called the police and he was arrested. He's still in jail awaiting trail on that charge and his pretrial was Friday morning.
I have VERY LITTLE confidence in our criminal justice system, so I called the court to be sure the case was still being held. It was. I arrived at the courthouse about 10 minutes before the case was scheduled to be heard. This is the same courthouse where evictions are heard, so I know all the officers that provide security. Before they screened me, I asked if the case was still on. This criminal is frequently violent and they always have extra security when he is brought to court from the jail. They said that the hearing was still on, but that I needed to check with the main bailiff to determine which courtroom was holding the hearing. So, I went to talk to the bailiff and sure enough - THE PRETRIAL HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL JUNE! I can't tell you how many times I've been subpoened to testify in a criminal trial, only to have it either dropped or postponed! It is VERY FRUSTRATING! The only good thing is that the criminal will be in jail at least until the hearing in June (or at least that's what they said).
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wet and Wild!
I took on another water project today and as usual managed to get wet. Maybe I should start wearing my wetsuit to work! Anyway, today's project was to replace the old metal water lines with Pex. The old lines were in bad shape. The previous owner had installed several clamp-type patches to stop leaks in the lines and there were several rusted spots on the lines that were seeping. I started where the water line entered the basement and replaced nearly all the old metal lines in the basement. The most difficult aspect of the project was removing the old lines. Many of the connections were rusted and difficult to get apart. The entire project cost less than $100 as I used mostly crimp connections.
This project was in half of one of my duplexes. I replaced the water lines in the other half of this duplex last year.
This project was in half of one of my duplexes. I replaced the water lines in the other half of this duplex last year.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Onward Christian Soldiers
I almost never talk about religion on my blog or in any of my posts. However, it's no secret that I am a Christian - albeit a very imperfect one (aren't we all). The point of this blog post is to discuss my frequent difficulty in maintaining a Christian attitude and appropriate Christian behavior when I'm dealing with - yes, you guessed it - TENANTS!
The latest tenant to move out was a perfect example of this issue. This particular tenant moved in only a few months ago. She is disabled and essentially confined to a wheelchair. During her tenancy, I bent over backwards to help her out. That included making her apartment handicapped accessable at my expense. In addition, when a relative took advantage of her and stole some of her property, I took care of the problem for her. I went above and beyond the call of duty with this tenant.
My problem arose when she suddenly decided to move out, without giving me notice. Even with this extreme lack of courtesy and violation of her lease, I still would have been ok with her if she had just left before the 1st. Unfortunately, she decided not to do that and was still occupying the property on May 1st. To make a long story short, she stayed after the 1st without paying the rent. I knocked on her door and told her that she needed to leave ASAP or I would file an eviction. She did leave, but left a BUNCH of her junk in the apartment. Furthermore, with all that stuff being in the apartment, I couldn't be sure that she was out and I had no way to contact her. I did have a phone number for her son and I called him to explain that I had bent over backwards to help her and that I didn't appreciate the way she was acting. He agreed and said that he would attempt to get someone to remove her belongings.
Sunday, I spent all morning at church running the projection, for both services. Then, later in the evening, I was back at church for our small group meeting. As I was heading home, I received a call from one of her relatives that said that he was at this apartment to move the rest of her stuff but couldn't get in. Since I really wanted her out of there, I agreed to drive down to the apartment on Sunday night to let him in. When I arrived, I found that they had driven their pickup truck right up onto the concrete front deck - I was not happy. Then, when I let them into the apartment and they saw what a disaster the apartment was, they said that they were only there to pick up her couch and a few other things. I asked them what they intended to do about the rest of her stuff and they said that was my problem. THAT WAS IT! I went ballistic and told them what a bunch of scum I thought they were! There was a lot of cursing and nasty discourse (all coming from me) and I let them know that I was VERY angry with them and the tenant! Once again, I had learned the lesson that NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED!
There you have it - that is the point of this post. I certainly didn't act much like a Christian. In fact, I find that it is VERY difficult to turn the other cheek when some scumbag steals from me - especially when tenants do this with shocking regularity. I'm sure that there are Christians that could accept this stupidity from the tenants and really shine as a Christian. Unfortunately, that is NOT me! I guess I have a lot of room for improvement!
The latest tenant to move out was a perfect example of this issue. This particular tenant moved in only a few months ago. She is disabled and essentially confined to a wheelchair. During her tenancy, I bent over backwards to help her out. That included making her apartment handicapped accessable at my expense. In addition, when a relative took advantage of her and stole some of her property, I took care of the problem for her. I went above and beyond the call of duty with this tenant.
My problem arose when she suddenly decided to move out, without giving me notice. Even with this extreme lack of courtesy and violation of her lease, I still would have been ok with her if she had just left before the 1st. Unfortunately, she decided not to do that and was still occupying the property on May 1st. To make a long story short, she stayed after the 1st without paying the rent. I knocked on her door and told her that she needed to leave ASAP or I would file an eviction. She did leave, but left a BUNCH of her junk in the apartment. Furthermore, with all that stuff being in the apartment, I couldn't be sure that she was out and I had no way to contact her. I did have a phone number for her son and I called him to explain that I had bent over backwards to help her and that I didn't appreciate the way she was acting. He agreed and said that he would attempt to get someone to remove her belongings.
Sunday, I spent all morning at church running the projection, for both services. Then, later in the evening, I was back at church for our small group meeting. As I was heading home, I received a call from one of her relatives that said that he was at this apartment to move the rest of her stuff but couldn't get in. Since I really wanted her out of there, I agreed to drive down to the apartment on Sunday night to let him in. When I arrived, I found that they had driven their pickup truck right up onto the concrete front deck - I was not happy. Then, when I let them into the apartment and they saw what a disaster the apartment was, they said that they were only there to pick up her couch and a few other things. I asked them what they intended to do about the rest of her stuff and they said that was my problem. THAT WAS IT! I went ballistic and told them what a bunch of scum I thought they were! There was a lot of cursing and nasty discourse (all coming from me) and I let them know that I was VERY angry with them and the tenant! Once again, I had learned the lesson that NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED!
There you have it - that is the point of this post. I certainly didn't act much like a Christian. In fact, I find that it is VERY difficult to turn the other cheek when some scumbag steals from me - especially when tenants do this with shocking regularity. I'm sure that there are Christians that could accept this stupidity from the tenants and really shine as a Christian. Unfortunately, that is NOT me! I guess I have a lot of room for improvement!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Busy as a Bee!
Wow - did today end up being a busy day!
They say that no war plan survives the first shot. In many ways, the rental business is the same. My plan for today was to work on the 1 bedroom rehab I started yesterday. That plan didn't even make it past last night. The plan began to fall apart when I received a call from the police department at about 10 pm. The officer on the phone informed me that they had caught the convicted felon that has been stalking me and that he was in jail (where he belongs). The officer wanted me to bring the security camera video of the felon violating my restraining order to the police station so that it could be used as evidence in his pretrial hearing next week.
By itself, this task would barely have interrupted my day, however that was just the beginning. As I was headed into town, I received several calls from tenants wanting me to pick up their rents. In addition, I got another call from a tenant who had an electrical problem. All of these things took a little more of my day. I had to drop off some paperwork at the Section 8 office. I picked up the mail at the post office and received all my Section 8 checks plus some private pay checks. After collecting several rents in town and fixing the electrical problem, I went to the plumbing store to get parts for the sinks; faucets; and water lines that I wanted to work on today. Then I picked up a couple more rents. After all the interruptions, I finally made it to the apartment and began working on the water issues. I installed the new faucet; hooked up the water lines; and hooked up the drain lines. The only part of this entire sink installation that was not brand new was the double stainless steel sink. As was probably predictable, the drain basket on one side was leaking and I had to take everything back apart to replace the drain basket.
About that time, I got a call from a another tenant wanting me to pickup the rent and two tenants that are moving in this month. That was the end of my plan. I collected the rent and did the paperwork for the two tenants that are moving in. Then I gave up and went home!
The weather was very iffy with rain showers all around the area. It didn't look like I could ride my bike any distance without running a high risk of getting very wet. So, I decided to ride just around my little subdivision. Around and around I went until I'd racked up 8 miles.
I'll try again tomorrow to work on the rehab. I would really like to get it finished.
They say that no war plan survives the first shot. In many ways, the rental business is the same. My plan for today was to work on the 1 bedroom rehab I started yesterday. That plan didn't even make it past last night. The plan began to fall apart when I received a call from the police department at about 10 pm. The officer on the phone informed me that they had caught the convicted felon that has been stalking me and that he was in jail (where he belongs). The officer wanted me to bring the security camera video of the felon violating my restraining order to the police station so that it could be used as evidence in his pretrial hearing next week.
By itself, this task would barely have interrupted my day, however that was just the beginning. As I was headed into town, I received several calls from tenants wanting me to pick up their rents. In addition, I got another call from a tenant who had an electrical problem. All of these things took a little more of my day. I had to drop off some paperwork at the Section 8 office. I picked up the mail at the post office and received all my Section 8 checks plus some private pay checks. After collecting several rents in town and fixing the electrical problem, I went to the plumbing store to get parts for the sinks; faucets; and water lines that I wanted to work on today. Then I picked up a couple more rents. After all the interruptions, I finally made it to the apartment and began working on the water issues. I installed the new faucet; hooked up the water lines; and hooked up the drain lines. The only part of this entire sink installation that was not brand new was the double stainless steel sink. As was probably predictable, the drain basket on one side was leaking and I had to take everything back apart to replace the drain basket.
About that time, I got a call from a another tenant wanting me to pickup the rent and two tenants that are moving in this month. That was the end of my plan. I collected the rent and did the paperwork for the two tenants that are moving in. Then I gave up and went home!
The weather was very iffy with rain showers all around the area. It didn't look like I could ride my bike any distance without running a high risk of getting very wet. So, I decided to ride just around my little subdivision. Around and around I went until I'd racked up 8 miles.
I'll try again tomorrow to work on the rehab. I would really like to get it finished.
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