A Change of Mind

So I snuck out of work a little before 5pm yesterday to have the new tenant sign the lease for the downstairs of property Chi. I called him just to make sure he was on his way. No answer, so I left a voicemail. That was the first time I had to leave a voicemail. You can guess where this is going-- he never showed up. Funny thing is that I don't seem to care.

Well, let me change that-- I care about getting the place rented out, but his absence didn't phase me. The business aspect of real estate is up and down, and nothing is as it seems. I had a very weird feeling about him but I didn't put it in my last blog, not wanting to jinx it. Usually, I'd get pissed off and start ranting and raving about what an asshole he is for setting everything up and then not showing up. But it just didn't matter to me. My mind simply moved on to what I had to do next. This means that I'm developing a real estate callus. I've been wondering when I would develop the real estate callus, as every bad thing that happen to me in this business would drive me crazy.

I remember sometimes Sha would talk to me about all the things that were going on during a day. He'd tell me about evictions, code enforcement, wife problems, lazy workers, and people cursing his name to the gods. I would wonder, "How the hell can he deal with all this in one day?!". But now I'm beginning to understand. When you're in a business for a certain period of time, you get used to things that go wrong. The only thing that's important is that your overall direction is going forward. Chi will get rented out. It's just a matter of time.

Sha gave me a tip about how to handle that situation in the future. When a prospective tenant wants to move in, makes good money, and is eager to give you a security deposit, take it. Pretend to call some private investigator to check his job references, then say that everything is good "upon further review of your application". You take the non-refundable deposit and then do a real background check. If the person calls and says he doesn't want the place anymore, or if he doesn't show up at the day of signing because he found another place, at least I'll have some money for my troubles. Should it happen that his background comes up bad, I can always give back the money with my apologies. The "non-refundable" rule applies to him, not me.

My ringtone fits my callus-- the theme from the Andy Griffith Show. I used to have the ringtone because I needed help maintaining a calm demeanor when Laurie or, God forbid, Annie would call complaining about something. From debt collectors to security job bosses to tenants, the annoyance was non-stop. Now it seems I'm finally starting to get used to it.