The Go-To Girl

In the past month the following has happened:

1. While I was in Alabama, I got a call about Trusted's house. After talking to Tiffany for a few minutes, I told her it would not be a good idea to rent it. Yes, Tiffany could afford the rent. But, Tiffany could not afford the rent, utilities and the overall upkeep costs that comes with a larger home. What Tiffany needed was a smaller, modest place until she finished college. As much as I would be happy to help her out, I wanted to see her succeed.

Twenty minutes later, Tiffany called me back to ask me for advice on money management. She lamented that she knows many women who look for the easy way, such as government hand-outs, instead of earning a living for her and her children. She was angry, because she was working and going to school and wanted to make her life better. She wanted a better neighborhood and all of the goodies that come with hard work or government handouts. As we talked she confided that what she was really looking for was someone else to resolve her situation.

In reality, her situation was fine. It would take time. She was studying to be a nurse. She had a decent paying job. She budgeted and saved. She was raising her daughters in a way she could be proud of, instead of caving and going on welfare--which was an option if she quit her job. She had choices. We all have choices. I told her this, and she agreed.

2. Jack, my agent, called me a few weeks ago looking for a good air conditioning repair service. As Jack grew up in Birmingham, has been in the real estate market for twenty years AND has a fifty year old home, I was surprised he didn't know anyone.

3. My attorney e-mailed Jack last week wondering if I had any homes for rent, as he knew a guy who knew a guy who needed a place to live. Sadly, it didn't work out. Because anyone Jon knows or knows a guy who knows a guy, is most likely quality.

4. Yesterday I got a call from Angela. Apparently, her best friend's cousin rents a home from me. Angela rents her own home from someone else. She called because she wanted advice from a landlord's perspective. And, what did I think? And, what should the landlord do in her situation?

I would like to say this is unusual, but I could fill up volumes with stories of this nature. I have been called by tenants looking for ways to clean up their credit report. I have been asked advice on everything from starting a business to domestic violence. I have even been sought about matters of the heart. And, I even got a call from one tenant who wanted to know if I knew how to get to Colombiana, AL, a small town of 1,000 thirty miles south of Birmingham. Not only did I know where it was, I knew how to get there.

All these from folks I really don't know and don't know me. I don't know why someone in Arizona is top of mind for questions of these nature. But, apparently for some, I am the go-to girl.