News on the spring East Coast meetup

[Doktor Howl]

Well, the landlord has some rather odd ideas as to what he can get for this house.  A counter-offer has been made.  If he doesn't accept it, the move falls right in the middle of the planned dates for the trip to Boston/Providence.  I'm giving him 10 days to respond, and then we're just going to assume we're moving.

It's kind of hilarious.  The market's in the shitter, and he has a tenant (me) that has never been late on the rent (we've been here for 15 months now, doesn't wreck the place or cause him grief with the HOA...Thing is, he's never rented property out before, and he seems to think this state of affairs is normal (anyone who's ever leased property out could tell him differently, and maybe he's about to find out the awful truth).

In any case, if we can't make it in May/June because of this, we'll be out in the fall.

[Cainad (dec.)]

Well shit. Moving sucks, and moving when you had other plans for that time sucks even more.

Hopefully the landlord stops huffing the powdered coyote shit and comes to his senses, or gets bonked with a clue-bat.

[Doktor Howl]

Well shit. Moving sucks, and moving when you had other plans for that time sucks even more.

Hopefully the landlord stops huffing the powdered coyote shit and comes to his senses, or gets bonked with a clue-bat.

Well, he wanted $1600/mo (bear in mind this is Tucson, not Boston or LA) for the place 15 months ago, and I offered him $1350.  Now he wants to continue the lease, but he's back to the $1,600 number.  I offered him $1475 if he'll sign for 2 years (the length of time my youngest has left in high school), or no increase for 1 more year.

If he doesn't take it in 10 days, I'm going to assume he's going to hold off til the end and then stand firm, which means I start the moving process.  If he agrees within 10 days, we will still make it out there.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Dude is in for a very rude awakening and many years of regret if he doesn't take you up on it.

[Doktor Howl]

Dude is in for a very rude awakening and many years of regret if he doesn't take you up on it.

Hardly my problem.  I'm NOT buying the place (it has some issues), and he can have another stress-free two years, or take his chances on the market.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Dude is in for a very rude awakening and many years of regret if he doesn't take you up on it.

Hardly my problem.  I'm NOT buying the place (it has some issues), and he can have another stress-free two years, or take his chances on the market.

Totally not your problem. I was just amusing myself imagining his dawning panic as everything goes wrong.  I've been a landlord before, and it sucks ass.

But hopefully he'll accept your offer so you don't have to move. Moving sucks.

[Doktor Howl]

Dude is in for a very rude awakening and many years of regret if he doesn't take you up on it.

Hardly my problem.  I'm NOT buying the place (it has some issues), and he can have another stress-free two years, or take his chances on the market.

Totally not your problem. I was just amusing myself imagining his dawning panic as everything goes wrong.  I've been a landlord before, and it sucks ass.

But hopefully he'll accept your offer so you don't have to move. Moving sucks.

Yeah, it does.  But not as much as an 18% increase in rent over one lease-change.   

There's no school like the school of hard knocks.  Hell, he'll be lucky to rent the place in 3 months, in this market, and at that time of the year.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Well, shitballs. I hope things work out for the spring.

[Doktor Howl]

Well, shitballs. I hope things work out for the spring.

We'll see.  It's not a money thing, it's just that the only week in which we have time to make the trip, is also the week the lease ends. 

I've had this happen once before.  Back in Chicago, we had rented a really nice Victorian-era house.  Rent on time, no problems with the neighbors, etc...But the landlord decided to cash in on the housing boom about 6 months too late.  He didn't renew the house, and it sat on the market until the bank foreclosed on it.  It was a bummer for us, because we couldn't find a house nearly as cool, but there was a certain satisfaction in watching the FOR SALE sign weather into illegibility.

[Richter]

Any tenants are better business than a place vacant for 6 months +.  Good tenants are worth more breaking even than bad ones at a profit.  My hometown landlord was of this mindset, and he had me as the neighborhood "scary white dude" playing building manager.

Ah, good times.   

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Dude is in for a very rude awakening and many years of regret if he doesn't take you up on it.

Hardly my problem.  I'm NOT buying the place (it has some issues), and he can have another stress-free two years, or take his chances on the market.

Totally not your problem. I was just amusing myself imagining his dawning panic as everything goes wrong.  I've been a landlord before, and it sucks ass.

But hopefully he'll accept your offer so you don't have to move. Moving sucks.

Yeah, it does.  But not as much as an 18% increase in rent over one lease-change.   

There's no school like the school of hard knocks.  Hell, he'll be lucky to rent the place in 3 months, in this market, and at that time of the year.

Very lucky. Most likely, what will happen is it'll sit vacant for months (and after two months he's already lost the difference between the rent you offered and the rent he wanted over the course of a two-year lease) and start to decay, possibly developing a vermin problem in the meantime (I don't know what your vermin situation is there, but here the rats and raccoons move RIGHT the fuck in) or picking up squatters. When he finally does rent it, it will be at market rate and probably less than  you're offering him. And that's when the REAL fun begins, as he learns that trouble-free tenants are worth their weight in the fucking strokes he wouldn't be having over how much his new tenants fuck shit up.