So, I've been trying to rent these rooms out for a while.  Now I know from experience that it's a little hard to rent out rooms so far in advance, but still, this is really something that has to be done and over with before they - my landlords - leave.  Now that we're into August and they're leaving on the 16th, I have been ramping up the ads.  Took the price down to $485 in the master bedroom but kept the other room the same.  Have to cover the mortgage or this isn't going to work.  I'll be covering the utilities.  So I ran more ads yesterday and finally scored today.

Called the guy, started talking...and talking...and talking....best to get as much out as you can and find out as much as you can and give ample opportunity for any "slip-ups".  But, he was convinced, they drove an hour out here - 60 plus miles away - and they showed up.  Showed them the house, the rooms, the dogs, everything, they shook hands, gave me $480 to hold the rooms and away we go!  Woohoo! A load off my back.  Nice people, mature, older, this should work out well.  And here I was thinking of options to bring the rent down.

Now, I just got done checking out my new room - which is the baby's bedroom. It's a large room. Not as big as the one I'm in and no personal bathroom -but - the main bathroom will be my personal bathroom so no biggies there.  I don't need a huge room, enough for a dog bed, my bed and my personal stuff.  So, it's good. Make this work and move on with other things. Spending so much time with this that I have put off any job hunting.  The 2% raise was a slap in the face as far as I'm concerned, but that's what they did last year - though I was getting the 50 hours per week so that made up for it.

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Monday. Taking today and tomorrow off from work to get some stuff done in terms of bill  paying here and going to the town to switch the name over to me for the water.  I didn't need two days off, but I have 3 personal days besides all the rest of my paid days off and I wanted to use them before it gets too late in the year.  I'm going to ask for the 17th off as well, for that is the day after the home owners are gone and the new tenants move in and I need to get the rooms cleaned up nicely and more importantly, get all my stuff out of the current room and into my new room.

I just wanted some time off without using vacation hours.  I'm still looking for a new job, albeit only a few applications being put out here and there, regardless, I will get all that vacation pay in a check if/when I leave current company.  But to be honest, unless a really good offer comes along, it's getting late in the year and I want to make a trip back to Phoenix to visit mom.  I won't be able to do that if I get a new job and starting all over again on the vacation accrual.

Meanwhile, 3rd payment on the trial basis for the home loan modification coming up this month.  After that, the modification is permanent, the amount paid per month is almost $300 less and more importantly, my credit score will slowly go back up.  Takes at least a year I've been told. I  was checking my credit score. Some company in Phoenix dumped a $300 unpaid debt on there for a time that i wasn't even in Phoenix, I have to dispute that.  Other than that and the late pays on the mortgage my record is in good shape.  I'm really trying to get it back up so I can attempt to get a small business loan to start a mobile home park.  Some interesting online courses that cover all of this that I am reading through, though I wonder if I dont' need a bachelor's or an associate degree to make a loan like that more appealing to a lender.

I dunno, I just know I don't have the money to start one myself.  My plan is to acquire the land, permits, and install infrastructure and put on X amount of homes already ready to rent out, with extra spaces for RV parking and even more for those that want to move a home into the park.  This is something I have been wanting to do for a long time now, it's time to do whatever it takes to get it going.   I don't have enough in 401k to start it up, though there is enough in there to at least purchase land.  I'm going to devote some time to this endeavor until I figure out how to get it going.  I have to research other parks around here - which are few and far between and there is definitely a market opportunity for it.  There is also opportunity for certain chain business that isn't here yet.  It's a growing community and more and more businesses are being attracted here.

It isn't pie in the sky,  get rich quick. You have to start somewhere and grow  it as you have extra capital to invest.  Which means having a big enough property to do that expansion.  There isn't really that much property available in town, but there is plenty just outside of the main town and at low enough rates per acre.  A tax incentive would help, too, lol.
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Tuesday. The end of 4 days off.  Back to the grind tomorrow morning.  Which may not be so fun if the rain that just fell and flooded everything including taking down a tree in the back yard and a large branch in the front - stops everything at work as well.

We went through the grind of changing accounts over to my name.  Not that way I do it with my house in Phoenix - all accounts are in my name, I really do like to have control over that stuff because I see everything and how much everything costs.  Which, on another note, I got pretty mad when I saw the newest Direct TV bill.  They have been raising the monthly rate since last year.  This time it jumped from $117 to $134.  Unacceptable.  I have called them repeatedly trying to get some kind of deal, they refuse.

This is the by-product of ATT. They were bad before, but not this bad. Well, installation done, called Direct TV.  Channelled over to the Phillipinnes.  Woman insisted on all kinds of information, I simply asked for a manager.  Defiance.  Hung up on them this time, screw that.  Called again, trying to figure out how to get to disconnection like you used to be able to without going through all the hassle.  Ended back up in the Philippines.  This time, though, they switched me over.  Dude answers. Lengthy conversation. "Wish I could have talked to you before you switched".  I've called them a dozen times in the last 8 months, was met with not possible, not going to happen, not even a few free movie channels.

Sounded like the superviser that hung up on me is going to experience a problem at least.  All of their calls are recorded.

I was just looking at property for sale around here.  I have to get something in my mind to get a grasp on some kind of goal  Lots of it for sale, one in particular is 27 acres for $25K. Expected monthly payment with a 5k down payment is $140 per month.  This is much more attainable than I had originally thought.  Of course. Small town, ample amounts of land.  Much more intensive research is going to ensue. Property taxes, business permits and taxes, viability of property pasrameters for intended use, potential problems and costs to fix.  Yes, now that I have this basic information - a bit of a surprise at that - I am going to start doing the research.  What I do about it, can't even begin to say until I come to a total cost of acquiring land and what it's going to take to make a portion of it into a mobile home park.

I'm not going to have enough to retire even if I work another 12 years, there might end up being a few hundred thousand in there, but that's just not enough, not imo.

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Wednesday morning.  My 4 day weekend over.  I used to enjoy going to work, considering the hellish, toxic environment it is now, I do not. I like getting out on the road away from the place when there are longer distance deliveries, but other than that, being at the yard just plain sucks. But, I've endured this "manager" this long, I can probably make it through the Christmas season and on into January, be able to take some time off and then refire the search.