The Desperate Landlord

During the May/June transition phase, I learned a lot and gained experience. Not only did I learn about expressing what I want when it comes to repairs clearly, but I also learned not to get desperate. I learned this through my dealings with a prospective tenant named Ashley.

When I found out that Jaleena wasn’t going to work out, I looked towards Ashley. She came to see the place a few days after Jaleena and made about the same amount of money, but had NO kids and was given a good reference by her landlord. Her reason for moving was that her lease is up and chose not to renew because her landlord (old lady) was too nosey and was trying to get into her personal life. We made an agreement when she first saw the apartment (May 30^th) that, if she was approved for the place, she could pay the $400 security deposit, and then pay half of June’s rent when she moves in on June 15^th. After I knew Jaleena was out I called Ashley to tell her that the place was hers, but she was at work and couldn’t pick up the phone. I had to text her and this is how it went:

May 31^st, 2012 at 3:49pm

Roger: Hi Ashley… Can you text on your phone?

Ashley: Yes its easier to txt at work.. sorry I cnt answer the phone

Roger: No problem! I don’t like to bother anyone at work anyway… My question is I might be able to ger you the apartment but would you be able to pay the security deposit and half of june’s rent by Saturday? ($750 total)

Ashley: I might be able to do tht. I will call you Saturday morning..

Roger: Usually that would be okay but since the deadline to get a lease signed is today, I guess we can do the $400 security deposit today then the $700 for June on the 13^th… can you meet me at the (property Beta address) at 7:30pm tonight to sign the lease with the $400 deposit?

Ashley: I don’t get off work until 11pm

Roger: Hmm… I would stop by your job but I would rather meet up at (property Beta) so you could see that the work is done

Ashley: Can we meet tomorrow or Saturday..

Roger: Yes, but it would have to be in the morning… can you meet me there tomorrow morning? (You can choose the time)

Ashley: Ok can I call you around 9am?

Roger: Sure… what time do you want to meet at (property Beta address) tomorrow morning?


And that was it. She never texted me back and I don’t blame her. Look at how desperate and greedy and pushy I was! This poor woman had already told me that she wanted to get away from a pushy landlord, and here I am practically begging her to take the apartment. Reading the texts back is kind of embarrassing now that I’m doing it. Notice how I completely ignored the “deadline” once it was clear she wouldn’t be able to sign the lease that day? Or that I first wanted to get the full $750 upfront instead of the $400 that was agreed upon? The hell was wrong with me? Why was I so desperate?

The right thing to do would have been to call her and leave a message stating that she has been approved for the apartment, and if she is still interested to call me back to set up a time for a signing and the $400 security deposit payment. That’s it! No texts. No fictitious deadlines. No desperation. No one likes to do any kind of business with a desperate person, and a prospective tenant can smell desperation very easily. So, because of my out-of-character behavior, I lost out on what would have been a decent tenant and lost out of getting an extra $350 for the second half of June’s rent.

I learned from this though, and I’m happy with the tenant I have now, Libby. She’s older woman with two cats, she used to be a landlord, she isn’t afraid to do her own repairs/improvements, and her boyfriend is also a landlord. Should Carver ever leave (I noticed his hinting at buying a house for himself), I will have no problems renting out the downstairs apartment because Libby is a desirable neighbor—quiet and respectful. I waited for who I thought would be the right tenants, even when I knew it would cost me a month’s rent. I could have gone with the prospective Jaleena, but something about her made me feel weird and I went with my gut. I could have gone with Ashley but I pushed her away with my desperation, and also lost out on some much needed money.

While I’m happy with Libby, I have to learn to take it easy when it comes to renting out apartments.  It’s gonna get rented out. Everyone needs a place to live. All I have to do is buy in a good area, make sure the apartment is in showing condition, and pick from the best prospectives. The rules don’t get any easier than that.