Mr. 114

In the event you don't remember Mr. 114, he and his lovely wife have a beautiful manicured yard and live next door to one of my rental homes. We connected because he offered to show my then-vacant home last year.

Sadly, That didn't work out too well. Mr. 114--whether he realized it or not--is a bit selective in who he wanted living next door. Because of that, I suspect he didn't shed the best light on the house to prospective tenants, turning them off to him, the house and the neighborhood. When I took him out of the picture, all of the sudden prospective tenants came out of the woodwork. I don't think he was being malicious. He really doesn't want a rental home next door to him under any circumstances.

That said, he has found peace with Ms. Shirley, my current tenant. And, he is currently taking care of her yard. This happened through a strange bit of circumstance. As the story goes, he went over to borrow a cup of sugar/borrow an egg/because was curious, and saw a bid from a lawn service on her door. He left a hasty note, telling Ms. Shirley that he would be happy to mow the lawn for less. Ms. Shirley hired him.

Mr. 114 and I have stayed in touch for the past year for a variety of reasons. Mainly he and I share a vested interest in home values. Jack regularly sends me updates on the values of my homes. Once in a while something comes up in Mr. 114's neighborhood and I share it with him. We then have a "Gasp! Can you believe it. Wow! What the heck is happening to the home values in the area??" e-mail exchange. Actually, in the particular area where Mr. 114 and Ms. Shirley live, the values aren't too bad.

Anyway, the last time this exchange took place, Mr. 114 told me he was laid off from his job. I asked what he was planning on doing and he naively responded by telling me he is starting his own lawn service/handyman service.

There are very few things that bring joy to a landlord the way hearing the words "handyman" does. I sent him a quick list of things to bid out for me. I assured him, if his price was good and he didn't mind driving I would probably be a steady customer.

Meanwhile, Ms. Shirley's dishwasher went out. As it is 15 years old, and the part is $250, it isn't worth repairing. Home Depot still will deliver but won't install. So, Mr. 114 to the rescue!