Renting Out Property Chi: Take Two

I wasn't sure how this weekend was gonna go, trying to rent out property Chi. It started off horribly. The first appointment was really excited to see the place but, when she and her felony boyfriend arrived, she didn't like the place because of the way it smelled. She said it smelled like cats. The second guy played nice but was clearly not interested, and the third appointment was a no-show.

I probably didn't recognize the cat smell because I was so used to the horrible stench of the downstairs apartment when Laurie lived there. I was discouraged and feeling low. If a woman who has a boyfriend with a felony didn't want the apartment, what were the chances of me getting anyone decent for property Chi?! I take failure to heart, no matter how small it is. The amplified pain of failing at something makes me never want to fail at it again.

I had a new set of appointments today. Determined to succeed, I mopped up the floors a half hour before anyone was to arrive, and bought air fresheners for the whole place. I would have bought them sooner but Smalltown's hardware stores in my neighborhood open at 9am on Sundays (except for Lowe's and Home Depot which open at 7). I also made every prospective tenant drive by the area before they confirmed an appointment, the theory being that I'll get people who know the neighborhood and will be less likely to pull a no-show.

My second appointment called to cancel her appointment early for some reason, so it was another bad start. I thought she was my sure-bet tenant, as she called desperate for an apartment. My first appointment I had to call and wake up after he was 5 minutes late. When he came, I wasn't expecting much. He had buck teeth, dirty clothes, and an excuse for being late. Then I started the good news. He's a tow truck driver, making 50k a year. He knows Smalltown and property Chi's neighborhood. His roommate makes 30k a year. They want to move out of their place because they want to get out of the west side. He also does alot of handyman work which helps me out just in case. I'll check in with his landlord just to be sure, but I think I've found the new tenant for the downstairs of property Chi. I won't confirm anything or celebrate until he signs the dotted line and I have at least half of the security deposit. I still have to verify his references so nothing is set in stone just yet.

The feeling of closing a tenant is good. Even if this doesn't pan out, I'm no longer discouraged. I have until the end of this month to rent out two perfectly good units in a so-so area, and it's only the 6th of the month. If I can't do this, then I shouldn't be in real estate. The discouragement is temporary and I've got to play it smart these next few weeks. I can only rent Chi in the mornings when the neighborhood is at its best, so I'll have to sneak out of work when I can. I don't want it to come down to the wire, so I'll try to rent everything out by the end of next weekend.