Real estate and other stuff

During the holiday season, the barrage of unsolicited address labels, letters, and calls to my home phone (unanswered) intensifies to a fever pitch. How do I choose which charities will get my donations and support? I am not much of a volunteer, and I prefer to give money or goods rather than time.

I save up clean clothing, linens, books, and household goods for donation. When I get the postcard that the Medina Children's Home truck will be in my neighborhood, I put the stuff out on my porch to be picked up. Two or three times a year, I pack up the bags and take it to the Goodwill donation center instead. As I update my home, I donate things like doorknobs, metal fencing, shutters, and light fixtures to Habitat for Humanity.

Over the years, I have lent money or provided services to people who have not paid me back. I had a pretty good idea that might happen, so I mentally record it as a charitable donation.

But there are certain issues that really hit me in the gut: neglect and abuse of animals, both pets and farm animals; starvation and the continuing spread of diseases such as malaria; and the equal rights of women and ethnic minorities.

That's a lot of stuff to care about, and I don't have enough money or hours in the day to make a big difference. So I have to pick and choose which ones to support.

I check out charitable organizations on Charity Watch before contributing or to make sure they're still rated with an A. I also join non-profit organizations that work on the issues I care about, although they are not charities as such, so that my membership dues help the cause.

I still get caught by the occasional telemarketing call or a pleading letter and end up writing checks to other organizations not on my list, but I try to stay on track with the issues that are most important to me. I think it is easier to do good if you have a plan for helping the causes that mean the most to you personally.

What do you think? How do you decide?

Photo credit: Anna Cervova

I was a tenant many times and long before I was a landlady, and I've lived in a lot of apartments and houses. I try to learn from my mistakes, and it's helped to relate my experience of being a tenant to owning and managing rental properties. Thinking back over the years, here are my observations as a landlady, leasing agent, and property manager:

About a few of my good tenants:

A very young couple, her sister, and their dog in a 4-bedroom house. The girl gave me a handwritten letter with her application explaining her shoplifting conviction. I gave them a chance, and they were grateful. They were never late with the rent, and kept the house fairly clean, although I did have to give them the Bleach Speech about the bathroom tile.

Four, then five, now six college students, all young men, renting a 4-bedroom home. I had no good reason to turn down their application, but I was a bit apprehensive about renting to them! They have paid the rent like clockwork for 2.5 years and taken good care of the house and the yard. I provide the fridge, and washer and dryer, and replaced the old washer when it broke to reward them. Their cars aren't parked all over the place, either, which I was worried about. Until a couple of months ago, I didn't even realize one of them had graduated and was working full-time!

Tenants living in our condo in Hawaii. My ex-husband always insisted on interviewing prospective tenants over coffee or even lunch while going over their lease application. It was a good system, since we never had any problems with those people who made it through the interview and still wanted to lease the condo! One guy would drive over to the other side of the island to drop off the rent check every month.

A couple with two little kids who absolutely love the small pool and waterfall in the back yard. Those kids have spent the last two summers in that pool, with their mom watching them from the covered patio. There has never been a problem with the rent or the house, and the tenants even make some repairs themselves.

And my bad tenants (I know you've been waiting for this!):

The charming cousin of a good friend of mine who talked me into renting my condo to him, since he was ready to move in as soon as we finished remodeling it. From him, I figured out that once you let a tenant pay rent late, even though he'd lost his job (for good reason, as it turned out), they will never pay on time again. He asked to meet with me one day, I thought to pay me the overdue rent, but no--he wanted to show me the mold he had allowed to grow under the kitchen sink that was supposedly making him sick. So sick that he'd left the windows open and the fan on instead of the air conditioner to dehumidify the condo.  Long story short, I worked a deal with him to get him out, treated the unit for mold, and sold it. It wasn't getting positive cash flow anyway, and at least I made my money back.

Lesson learned: friends and/or relatives can take advantage of your friendship. Take your time and apply the same standards to their lease application as to a stranger's.

The tenant whose wife up and moved to a different city. They weren't separating, she just got a better job in Dallas near her grown daughter. He was left with the two teenage boys, and instead of paying the rent, he sent her money for her cellphone bill, apartment, and miscellaneous expenses. I gave him way too much slack, but when he finally did move two weeks before the lease expired, he left the house in great shape, even steam-cleaning the carpet.

Lesson learned: when tenants/family members move out, the income drops, as does motivation to pay rent. Don't renew or extend the lease.

The tenant who suddenly started to complain. In the space of two weeks, my property manager and I got several calls about the house from a tenant who had been there since May: one of the brand-new bi-fold doors had fallen on her, there were bugs in the kitchen despite the recent extermination, she wanted a phone jack in the kitchen, there was no convenient outlet for her microwave, the recent sewer-line break had left her bathtub dirty and she wanted a plumber to clean it, etc. She said she was "holding off" on the rent until these things were fixed, although they were not my responsibility. Then my property manager discovered that another person had moved into the house, and she was the one who was unhappy, although she wasn't on the lease. I suspect that she and the tenant are saving up the unpaid rent to get a place of their own. Out they go. And unfortunately, I'll be out a month's rent.

Lesson learned: when complaints suddenly start, there can be an ulterior motive or hidden agenda. Inspect the property and look for clues, and don't bend over backwards to make the tenants happy with the property--that may not be what they want.

I have had many more good tenants than bad ones in my properties and those of my clients. I admit I have made some mistakes, so I hope my observations will help you avoid them. If you own and manage rental properties, tenants will become some of the most important people in your life, so choose them wisely!

What about your experiences with tenants, both good and bad? Let's hear it!

Real estate is local, of course, and I have noticed certain things over the years that make a house stubbornly cling to its sellers instead of taking in new owners. At least in my area, and maybe in others, these issues can cause the house to take longer to sell.

One of them is blue carpet, as per my soon-to-be trademarked slogan in the title of this post. Emerald-green carpet isn't great, but it's not as bad as blue. (Below is an actual photo from the MLS.)

Another thing that keeps houses from selling is bad feng shui that comes from having the stairs start right in front of the front door and continue straight up to the second floor. My Asian clients often comment on this.

The stair thing isn't too much of a problem for one-story houses. But they, like two-stories, can be affected by bad chi, which happens when the house is located where a street comes to a T-intersection in front. I think that the chi rushes up the street and blows right into, through, or against the house. Houses directly at the end of cul-de-sacs are affected, too.

Home buyers don't like puzzling rooms, either. I showed a vacant house recently in which the garage had been partly converted to a room. There was still a garage-type door to the room in the hallway, and another garage door at the other end of the room into the garage. There were no windows. There was a cedar-lined walk-in closet. The floor had the same new carpet as the rest of the house. There were 8 large fluorescent light fixtures on the ceiling. And all around the room at about 3 feet apart and 3 feet off the floor, there were electrical outlets. They were in the closet, too.

What was up with that room?! It would make a perfectly good game room or media room, once the fluorescent lights were replaced and a new door installed, and it wouldn't cost much. But I think that room may have too many strange little quirks for buyers to be able to imagine the possibilities. 

What strange things have you discovered that keep a house from selling?

In my previous life I was a copy editor, which explains why it bugs me so much when I see these poor words abused in ads and articles. They are homonyms that people hear in speech, but don't spell correctly in context.

So here are the verbs that are getting on my nerves right now:

Piqued: My interest was piqued when I walked in the house and saw my cat hastily put down a magazine.

Peeked: I peeked at the page in the magazine that my cat had been reading.

Peaked: The page showed a photo of a fit and slim Garfield, obviously taken before he had peaked.

Pored: I pored through the article about the remarkable life of this debonair feline.

Poured: The rain poured down unnoticed, as my cat and I sat together reading her magazine.

So what grammar issues in particular get to you? Share!

I recently showed a small sample of potential single-family rental homes in northwest San Antonio near the Medical Center, USAA, UTSA, and west towards Lackland AFB, Sea World, and the financial and data centers off Highway 151. My client was only in town for the afternoon, and had been delayed to boot. I only had time to show a sampling of homes out of the list of candidates I had made in the representative neighborhoods that I drove through.

I only included homes and neighborhoods that attract tenants who can afford to pay from $1,000 to $1,400 in rent. Less than that, and there can be income issues. More than that, and homes take longer to rent, since that rental rate is the "sweet spot" for these properties. If you buy a ready-to-lease house in northwest San Antonio for $200,000 you are not going to get a whole lot more rent than for one that cost you $150,000. My preferred price range is from $120,000 to $165,000. In this price range you should be able to break even, depending on your financing, of course. You can get a great home in a stable, popular neighborhood that will hold its value in the long term. Furthermore, you can get a home that has the features that will attract good tenants who will take care of it!

Some things to keep in mind: 4-bedrooms get higher rent, usually around $100 in this price range, than 3-bedrooms. Homes in gated communities can command a slightly higher rent, too--typically $50 more a month. Size doesn't matter (in this case), but I don't usually like to go under 1,600 square feet or over 2,800. Tenants want an attractive fenced back yard, open kitchen/living area, and a big master bedroom. a deck or patio (preferably covered). And a garage is a must.

So here are the 20 listings I wanted to show, but didn't have time for in one crazy afternoon of racing around. The link will be good for 30 days, so if you want an update next month, just let me know. I'm sure I will have seen some more by then!

I loved the way the late-afternoon sunlight looked shining through this giant swallowtail's wings. The butterflies have been feeding on the last flowers of the lantana, buddleia, and even the basil.

What appear to be orange fur or feathers on this bordered patch are actually scales. Butterfly scales are like shingles and are both transparent and iridescent. The scales come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes.

A sulphur feeding on the buddleia. Its wings practically vibrate with color against the sky! Unlike many other species, the sulphur caterpillars and adult butterflies don't secrete toxins gathered from the host plant. This makes them more attractive to predators. Fortunately, they're pretty agile in eluding them! Just compare the flight pattern of the sulphur to that of the more leisurely monarch.

The next set of photos will be from our recent visit to Corpus Christi. Stay tuned!

Okay, I promised those of you who care a couple of pictures from the Halloween party we went to. My husband had to be dragged along, since he hates parties, especially costume parties, which he calls fancy dress parties. But even he enjoyed it. I think.

Guess what we went as?

Be specific now!

I tried to come up with something original, but cheap. The wigs cost the most. We can reuse them, though, so they were more of an investment in future Halloween fun!

Enjoy!

Some of the bees' favorite plants in our garden have finished blooming or died back, like the batface and the hyssop. But there are plenty of other flowers to keep them busy (as bees, of course)!

Look at all the pollen in those saddlebags! Actually they're called pollen baskets, or corbicula. (I'm sure I've seen that word used as an ActiveRain graphic for posting comments.)

Basil flowers are a big hit with all kinds of insects, including ladybugs and hoverflies, but especially bees.

A shot of a bee's butt. She is really digging into that aster blossom.

The iceplant (lampranthus) is growing as a ground cover next to the basil, so occasionally the bees check out the blooms when they get bored.

I hope you're not bored! I've been doing some research on bees, and I find them fascinating. Their numbers are dwindling, so we like to grow plants they like in addition to those that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. They're responsible for pollinating most of our food crops. So go, bees!