A Pattern of Idiocy

On the night before I filed the eviction for the downstairs Africans, I read this blog. I read it from when I started posting on a regular basis (2011) until the end of last year. When dealing with the Africans, I had a familiar feeling that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I knew that, if I searched this blog hard enough, I could find it. Sure enough, I did.

Once I realized that my GGT was pulled and I was gonna throw those animals out, I devised a plan. The plan was to throw them out through 30-day notices on February 20th. The 20th is too close for them to find a place and move out before the end of the month, so they would have to pay March’s rent as well. By the time they are thrown out, winter is over and I can rent the place out without having to deal with furnace issues until winter starts up again. That was the plan. But the Africans had a plan of their own when they decided to not pay rent. Instead of adapting to it and changing things up, I continuously tried to make things work with them so that my plan could work. Instead of filing the eviction once they didn’t pay, I waited 7 more days before I finally relented and filed papers. 7 days. That’s a very long time in the real estate world, and I could be taking them to court this coming Monday instead of having to wait until next week Friday.

The pattern I found and the problem I have is "the plan". I did it with Kylie Ray. I did it with the Homos. I did it with Nicky. I did it with Gary and Ira. I did it with Laurie. Every single time I’m presented with a tenant who I want to throw out, I come up with some big elaborate plan to throw them out in a way that benefits me. When the plan isn’t working, I try to make it work and end up making things worse. Stick to the basics, you dumbass. A tenant doesn’t pay and it looks like you have to evict them? File the damned eviction and be done with it. As time goes on and I get better at this game, I can try out different plans just for the experience of it. But now is not the time. I’m at the beginning of my real estate empire and, if I want to get to the next level, I have to stick to the basic rules of property management. No more elaborate plans. No more schemes. Follow the rules, and use my years of experience to make every move-out situation end as quickly and as smooth as possible.

I love this damned blog. I found a potentially disastrous pattern in my business dealings through this blog, and I can now work on fixing the problem. Whenever I feel the need to evict or a tenant wants to move out, I’m gonna follow the basic rules of property management. When the tenant throws a curve ball and gives me something I didn’t expect, like the Africans not paying rent, the basics rules will cover me so that my losses are minimal. Someday I’ll be smart and experienced enough to make flexible plans and ensnare departing tenants in a trap that results in me profiting from their exit. But that time is not now. I passed the baby step phase and now I'm walking. Once I master walking, I can learn how to run. The world is filled with business owners who have stumbled and fallen because they tried to run before they could walk. Let this post be my warning not to be and/or end up like them.