A 2-way street.
I have people coming over here, looking at the room. They say that they are going to look at other homes before making any decisions.
Great, see all the homes you want, I reply, but I am on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you decide you want the room but someone else gets it first after you leave, that's the way it goes.
It takes them by surprise. It shouldn't. That person is trying to put me on hold. Just wait while that person is going to make up their mind, meanwhile, I have 10 other people that are interested in the room. And, while that person is gone, they think they find a better place and baam, you've held the room for nothing. Not only have you held it for nothing, you lost all those prospective people plus, probably, it gets past the first of the month and your prospects start thinning out substantially.
So, I tell them up-front, such as the individual that came over here today: I don't hold rooms. I mean, spent a good 40 minutes with this guy, talking, showing him around, etc etc etc. He finally said he likes the place, but, he wants to go see another house. Wonderful. I don't really say that, I'm thinking it. You go see that house, I'm never going to hear from you again, I'm moving on. I gave him an hour. An hour was up, another guy that called yesterday wanted to come see it. Please do. He came right over. We hit it off from the start. I didn't have near the connection with the first person.
One thing you want when someone is going to move into your house: a good feeling about it. A connection, a "yes, this guy or girl can move in and it will be a good fit" type of thought and feeling. This guy wanted to see EVERYTHING, including the ponds. I showed him the ponds, he loved the dogs, wanted me to show him that the TV in "his" room works and that the satellite is hooked up and working. Yup and yes.
At the end of it, he says he has one more house he wants to look at. I felt my face "fall", he noticed. What's up? "I don't hold rooms". There is nothing else to say about it. I do NOT hold rooms. The phone was literally ringing off the hook while I was talking with him. I said all of those calls were for the room - which they were. I can't and won't hold rooms. No thanks. I have been there, done that, most of the time it does NOT work out, unless you want to put cash down, the room will be rented to whoever says yes first.
He thought about it for a few minutes and said yes. This is the place for him, he didn't want to miss a good deal, wanted out of his current situation BADLY, done. The other guy? He lost. He and several others were calling the entire time. That first guy - I have no sympathy. It's a good deal here, it's a VERY good deal.
You see, it isn't quite the stretch for me to say, nope, not holding rooms, since they are going to sit there and tell me that yup, they're going to go check out other places. I don't hold it against them, I just don't hold the room FOR them. That's their choice and I might add they are taking a chance. Whatever. Not the first person that has regretted not saying yes right away.
Onto other things.
HAMP. Home Affordable Modification Program.
I called today. My lender, that is. THEY sent me the paperwork out of the blue. I don't have to fill out all of that paperwork, I did it over the phone with them today. They ask a lot of questions, just like they did the first time. Got to the end of it, they want paystubs for 2 months; a letter of hardship and proof of tenant payments. Well, they had the pay stubs and the letter of hardship within 30 minutes of that call. I sat down and wrote up the same type of hardship letter that I gave them the first time. Pay stubs were easy enough to get on my company's site. I don't normally carry tenant contracts around with me, so, lol, I have that to send in. Oh, I faxed that stuff over to them.
After all of this time, my lender is finally participating in the HAMP program. NO guarantees, of course, but, I will hold out hope. My lender is not reducing principle on properties. I have asked 20 times at least, today was no hold-out on that question. Why should they? I don't know, I just ask. I ask for everything. They can reduce the interest, reduce the payment, lengthen the term of the loan, apparently several things. I do NOT want the loan extended another 10 years, that is useless. I mean, it would bring the payments down, but it doesn't help. I want reduced interest rate, THAT helps. Bring the monthly payment down another $300 or more, that would be great help.
Is there any credence to $5 per gallon gasoline within 2 years? I don't know. This is the latest news story, the "experts" saying that $5 is coming within 2 years and that by the end of the decade there will be rationing. I dunno. I just don't know. Last time they came up with this $5 or even more predictions, it tanked and we were back in the $2 plus change range. Definitely feeling the bite at near $3.00 per gallon fuel now.
Strange stuff going on all over the place, the front of my house no different. But, that story is going to have to wait until tomorrow, as I'm tired and I have decided to go to bed an hour early.
G'nite.
ben
2 comments:
Tuesday
I was just reading some pretty bad news for baby boomers. I'm at the end of that one being born in 1964. Statistics were showing that many have not saved enough - or at all - and are retiring early at age 62, therefore not getting the full retirement amount you could get at age 70 through Social Security.
Excuse me, but who the bleep wants to have to work until they're 70 years old? And WHAT, exactly, are you going to be doing at that age in the work force, greeter at Walmart entrances?
I have 16 years until I'm age 62. Guess I better get busy. I had 2% taken out of my paycheck this year - I wasn't going to do anything because of my financial situation, but I just let it ride after my company automatically reinstated it to 2% at the beginning of the year. It's about to break the 5 digit mark. Nothing to get excited about there. If it were about to break the 7 digit mark, woo hooo.
Further reading had these people saying they are going to work until age 70. Have fun with that. I'm going to up my 401k deductions this coming year since our company is going to reinstate full matching benefits as of January 1st, I believe it is. I'm going to set it at 5% and see what happens.
My goal, still, is in rental properties. Out or reach right now, but not forever.
Oh, the situation yesterday out front of my house. I was out there doing something, whatever I don't remember, there was a woman walking up and down the street, acting as if she was looking for something. This went on for a few minutes before I asked her if I could her find something - I had never seen her before.
The next thing I know, this woman is on my property, standing next to me, talking to me as if we were friends and had known each other for years. That wasn't the bad part, the bad part is she was REALLY strange. Talking a mile a minute, giggling and laughing at everything, not necessarily the most coherent being I had ever encountered. It was really weird.
Then, one of the neighobhood kids that has been walking the dogs for me came up to take one of them. This woman went berserk. She wanted to take one of my dogs as well. I don't even KNOW this woman, I'm not about to let her just walk off with one of my dogs! This went on for 10 minutes at least. I was out there at that point waiting for the next prospective tenant to show up.
Well, this guy drives up in his car and I'm trying to get rid of this woman. PLEASE leave now, I finally had to say, I have business to deal with, thank you. She leaves, the guy comes in, I show him the house, we start talking about all kinds of stuff. At the end of it, the kid brings back one of the dogs and this woman follows the kid right through the gate and into my side yard!!!
She also left the gate open. Oh, it was all too funny to her, I was about to let loose but decided to just politely ask her to leave. You left the gate open. Haahahahahahheeeheheeheheheeehehehheee.
I looked at her and said there was nothing funny about it, my dogs can get out when you leave the gate open, I was still tempted to tell her to get the bleep off of my property, I just let it go and escorted her out.
One thing is for sure, that woman is NEVER taking one of my dogs ANYWHERE unless she steals one of them. I have this - bad - feeling that she is going to be back today. I think a bit more bluntness will have to be in order if so.
Work day is here.
G'day.
ben
The decision making process is not usually instant as we all know...
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