Who Needs Drama When You Can Manage Rental Homes?

I recently told Legal Eagle that I am not into drama. But then again, I have this blog, don't I? The blog is therapy because managing rental homes alone provides enough drama to go around.

There is having to be involved--even circumspectly--in the lives of the people who live in your homes. Mrs. 508 is pregnant. Mr. 1609 has a new job. Mr. 1027's grandmother had a stroke and moved in with them. Whether I want to know or not, many of the decisions in their lives affect me and my ability to pay their mortgage.

There are the bad times. Like evicting people. Though, I am learning to disseminate my imagination from reality. The reality is seldom worse than my imagination. But not always.

Earlier this year I made a decision to get rid of all my troubled tenants. This was logic, not drama. However this choice has turned into more drama than one could imagine. Some of these deadbeats needed to go because they had been limping along, paying only when necessary.

In Wayward's case, I readily admit was looking for the first excuse I could to get rid of her. She paid late every month. Always. She didn't return calls. She didn't reply to e-mails. Short of flying to Birmingham every month and pounding on her door, there was no good way to contact her. I don't like this game. And, anyone who makes me play it, isn't someone I want to know.

I knew Mr. Smith would be following soon after. I was (am) looking forward to him leaving just as much as I did with Wayward. In his case, I figured he has a home that will be harder to rent. His mortgage is smaller and there are bigger issues. He got slid to the bottom of my to-do list.

Wayward and Mr. Smith aren't the only ones. They are the most interesting. But, they don't really make for much drama. They do what they are going to do. Mostly my imagination brings out the rest. For example, there is no drama in Wayward ignoring me. She was just is avoiding me. The insurance adjuster was much more irritating than Wayward ever was.

There are the tenants who leave because they have to. This year, I had three who left for reasons of their own. I certainly didn't plan for this. I wasn't prepared for life to step in and add to my challenges. We call this in Landlordland "a bump in the road."

There are repairs and maintenance. I just got a bill from the electrician for a repair he made last week. There is the furnace added to one of my homes. There is lawn maintenance. There is finding quality repairmen (who don't have attitude problems) to fix minor issues. Like a backdoor that won't open or close. Like a bedroom where the wiring suddenly stopped working.

I don't live for the drama. I don't need to. There is plenty of it without my help.