Behind the Scenes

Not every day can be a crazy who-stole-the-rafters kind of day. Fortunately. Every so often, thankfully, my accidental Southern business takes a turn for the mundane. This week was more (or less) banal. If you are truly curious, please feel free to read on. If you are my bookkeeper, you may definitely want to read on, as some of this might eventually affect you.

1. There has been a flurry of e-mails between me and the tenant who is moving out. She is asking if I am interested in selling the home to her neighbor's boss's best friend's mother. I might be. But first Dear Tenant who is abandoning me, what kind of condition is the house in? That of course, is a trick question. If she tells me the carpet is missing, she sold the copper piping and there is a hole where the upstairs floor used to be, I might take issue with my soon-to-be former tenant.

2. Mrs. Martin sent me a token rent check of 1/8 of what she owes me. The check is (begrudgingly) being sent to Legal Eagle. By the way, rumor has it, Mrs. Martin was served yesterday. Of course she was...

3. I haven't heard from Ms. Betty since last Friday. This is a record.

4. One of my tenants' dog had puppies. I found this out via Twitter. It turns out she didn't mention she had a dog when she moved in.

5. I am working with banks trying to restructure four mortgages. This requires a lot of paper work, jumping through hoops and a great sob story letter as to why I feel (as an investor) there is hardship. There is hardship. But banks don't look at investment properties the same way they look at regular home mortgages.

6. I still have the dead tree/air conditioner/lawn mower saga going on, with no particular outcome. I need evidence before I can move forward. The same person I asked to take pictures and provide me evidence is also serving Mrs. Martin today (Red--who, by the way, is now walking without the aid of crutches or cast).

7. I keep telling Marty Sunshine it is time for me to head over to Bama. I don't really have much to do there unless Mrs. Martin moves out. It isn't that I don't have things to do, I just don't really have enough to do that warrants finding child care for my kids for a week, paying for a hotel and rental car. Most of my errands are easily accomplished through a series of networking, driven by Carolsue. Sometimes showing up has an intrinsic value, like just checking on things for myself so I can keep my sanity in check.