Doggie Interview
Posted on July 14, 2008 - Filed Under Housing
The response for Project#2 Rental has been huge. Every phone call has turned into an appointment. The usual suspects: bedrooms are too small or the closets are big enough. Whatever.
One trait they all share: dogs.
It is ironic the one aspect of any yard, privacy via a fence, seems to be a beacon for any dog owner. My honest belief is when people are searching craigslist, they don’t search by location or price but with words such as “fence” or “yard”.
Project#1 had to suffer a rent reduction. On a whim, I increased the rent on Project#2. And it appears I’ll get it. Some people have already applied but they are bringing two medium size dogs. Super nice, gentile, don’t hurt anyone blah blah blah.
This is the first time I had ever heard the term “Dog Interview”. No big surprise, considering I don’t have a pet. But even after three years of playing Landlord roulette, I never heard this phrase before until this last weekend. A “doggie interview” is when potential tenants bring their pets over for the landlord to meet. Since I walked away without any gapping wounds or requiring rabbis shots, I thought the dogs were well behaved.
Now, dogs in an enclosed area destroy it. Let’s just face facts. They dig holes: not to bury bones, search for lost pirate treasure, or find a short cut to China. Holes are dug to find cool dirt, then lay in it. When that dirt warms up, they dig the hole deeper or find a new spot and dig again. August, which is quickly approaching, promises to bring enough thermal heat to make Chernobyl look like a campfire.
Because a second dog is going into the back yard, an increase in the security deposit was accepted. I felt this was necessary in the even they move out and the yard needed reconstructive surgery.
I can’t even begin to describe what a relief it will be to have Project#2 rented right away. The last house took too long to get rented. But getting this place rented will help keep my head afloat.
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Half Step Backwards on August 2nd, 2006
SFX: Phone RingsVoice: Hello?Clifford: Hello Tenant, this is Clifford calling.
Kitchen Remodeling Budget on July 3rd, 2007
It occurred to me that I never delved into the budget for the kitchen remodel.
Absolute Nothing
Posted on July 10, 2008 - Filed Under Philosophy
This piece was a tough piece to write. After all, how do you make ‘nothing’ interesting?
This is however.
Sitting on the couch, I realize my phone isn’t ringing with problems or delays or burdens. Everything is in this autopilot mode which is rather enjoyable. The new tenant has been taken care of, with all her belongings to be moved into the house. The back tenants reported some plumbing problems, which were taken care of easily enough.
The automated bill pay has taken away my bills. The Skype option is working out wonderfully. Grassman appears to be on track. Expenses are down. Income is steady.
With this down time comes the use of the imagination. I’ve talked extensively before, about the E-Myth book and the various levels of the business: Employee, Manager, and Entrepreneur. For the longest time, my life bounced from Employee to Manager then back again to Employee. This is the grunt work, the less glamorous work, which needs to be done.
Now with the autopilot engaged, I’m back up to the Entrepreneur level. The “vacation rental” idea is one product of this mental wandering. The online business idea is getting back on track. And a second project has been piggy-backed onto it. Good stuff all the way around.
What has made the “Imagineering” games fun is my new work schedule. Fridays are now mine to do with as I please. Now an entire day can be devoted to my own projects, in addition to the piece-meal hours throughout the week. That makes more sense to me.
These times are the times of real estate investing which I truly enjoy.
On a side note: I hate valium.
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Back to the model on April 23rd, 2007
Mentor: Can I be honest with you?Clifford: Always.
One red paper clip on July 12th, 2006
The ingenuity of some people never ceases to amaze me.
A vacation rental?
Posted on July 9, 2008 - Filed Under Business
The creativity of people never, ever ceases to amaze me. While this concept is by no means new I do have to chuckle when I realize how easy it is to earn an income. And how many options are available.
The olympics are descending on Beijing. In High-Definition no less. This couple is doing the old “rent my house” tactic and are probably going to make a few nice pennies along the way.
Renting out vacation rentals is nothing new. Some chick-flick emerged a few years back, glorifying the use of such website as VacationHomeRentals.com or even House and Home Exchange. Since most are landlords, this may be an alternate option to generating cash in the short run.
My mentor and I were discussing an upcoming situation: Project#2 will be vacant soon. The tenant chose not to renew their lease. With the houses going on the market, it may be difficult to find a replacement tenant.
But utilizing the house as a vacation rental . . . .
A lady I know is doing this. She has 4 rental properties, located in sunny Huntington Beach. One particular property, four blocks from the ocean, was converted into a vacation rental. Utilizing a furniture rental business, cheap furniture was used to furnish the house. Some simple advertising on the internet and the phone starting ringing.
Normally for this house, she could clear $3000/month in rent. As a vacation rental, it generates $2000 per week. And its booked solid for the next four months. You do the math. At any time she could shut the service off and return to having tenants. But listening to her talk, I don’t think that will happen.
| I’m giving this some serious thought. Some research would be needed, to find out how much furniture rental would cost. Preliminary research shows this could be as low as $350/month. And the furniture selection isn’t anything to sneeze at either.
The water and electricity would have to be guesstimated. I wonder if my router would hit the main house as wireless internet . . . washer and dryer included . . . full kitchen . . . . |
 |
On the surface, the idea looks good.
I guess I could put some ads out there, just to see if there is any interest.
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Cheese Placement on November 3rd, 2006
In kindergarten, we did lots of creative stuff as well as eat paste.
Judy Garland sprinkled with some Cher on September 13th, 2006
My good friend Anne (.
Pop the cork
Posted on July 8, 2008 - Filed Under Business
| Finally a tenant has arrived to fill the void.
The re-written ad worked wonders. Having all the extra information on the ad really pleased a lot of callers. A few even thanked me for including the dimensions of the bedrooms. |
 |
I’ve given some thought about using this Online Software tool to have a schematic of the rental, for the future. Having a mental picture of the house would probably cut down on even more phone calls.
Since the last revision, the biggest comment for not wanting the house was the need for bigger closets. Back in 1921, closet space wasn’t the biggest thought on peoples mind.
Anyway the timing is perfect, not only for the tenant but for me.
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Capitalism at its best! on March 27th, 2008
When first moving to California, a couple of us formed a business building websites.
Making it happen on March 28th, 2005
I figured out how much I qualify for.
Up and Running
Posted on July 7, 2008 - Filed Under Business
After a weekend of rest, my days of impersonating Quasimodo have come to an end. Much like other two legged primates, my walking now resembles an ape instead of dog. Pain lingers, my head is tilting to the right but the extremities are painless.
My apothecary has an appointment with me for this morning, which will undoubtedly result in pain medication being dispensed. I mention this not to brag about my impending rendezvous with legalized LSD but because I imagine my posts this week will resemble “drunk blogging“. My apologies in advance if something this week is weird.
Where were we?
Ah yes, the houses.
Technology advances. Slowly for some.
I was forwarded a report, on the statistics regarding the listing for Project#2. In case the memory isn’t there, Project #2 was listed on the MLS nearly a month ago.
The Real Estate Agent sent me this graph.
I was kind of surprised.
For those that may not understand what is going on, this graph represents the number of times the listing for Project#2 has been viewed. The houses were listed towards the beginning of June and this graph breaks down the views by week.
Unfortunately this graph cannot reveal:
- How many unique visitors looked at the Listing. After all, it could have been one person who looked at the ad almost 500 times.
- How much time the visitor spent, looking at the listing. Was the majority of the views an “accidental” click or were these people dedicating their lunch hours to it?
- Who views the ads. Was this the work of 500 agents OR was it their clients.
Nearly 500 page views produced a dozen phone calls which resulted in two showings. Both showings came back to view the houses a second time. So far, no offers.
The second showing was interesting. The buyers agent told me that his clients were irritated by the number of unfinished remodels that were listed without stating they were unfinished.
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Ben Stein's commentary on July 18th, 2007
It is not often I comment on the overall economy.
Pop! on December 20th, 2005
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls .
