The Right Stuff

So, I get this call from Mr. Wright today. He loved my vacant home. He thought it would be the perfect place for he and his family and would I please consider lowering the rent $100?

He then went on to tell me how great the house looked and how he couldn't wait to move in. In his next breath, he informed me the house was "absolutely filthy." Would they be responsible for cleaning it? And, more importantly, would I be willing to deduct money from the deposits for them to cover all his trouble? After a bit of probing, he told me "absolutely filthy" meant one wall still hadn't been painted (Former Tenant #2 told me she hadn't finished it yet) and the laundry room had dirt on it where the washer and dryer were living until yesterday. I confirmed this was his idea of "absolutely filthy" and told him NO, I would not deduct hundreds off the deposit.

Mr. Wright then verified that he loved the neighborhood. But, expressed concern about safety, because he has two daughters and the neighborhood doesn't "feel" safe. The example he provide was about a home at the beginning of the subdivision (about a half mile away) that looked seedy. I suggested, I, as a parent, could appreciate his concerns and encouraged him to check out the crime statistics for the area just to make sure this would be a safe place to live.

At this point, I suggested this might not be the perfect place for Mr. and Mrs. Wright, and I would certainly understand if they opted not to put an application in. After all, they didn't seem all that impressed.

Mr. Wright assured me they really did "just love" the house. But, would I be willing to consider giving him a break on the rent for him doing some unnamed odd jobs, which he assures me he is more than qualified to do. He listed about six things at this home that he could do to make it more appealing.

Appealing to whom? The next potential renter? Because Mr. Wright is definitely Mr. Wrong.