It's Raining Cats and Dogs - Part II

January 2017 -

As I said earlier, we told the folks in both 101 and 102 to get rid of their pets.  101 said okay and moved out.  But we didn't hear anything from 102.  We waited and assumed that 102 was going to move out as well, but we didn't hear from him directly.

On January 1 we went into 102 to see if he'd gone.  It was mostly empty - no furniture, but there was still a refrigerator full of food, the washer and dryer, a lawn mower (why?)  and some miscellaneous stuff.  So we asked him, via text message, when he would be getting the rest of his stuff out and clean.  His answer?  "I'm out."

So, here we go again.  But, the good thing is that he was out.

Flashback:  Earlier in the fall, when we were haggling back and forth about the animals, Diego was in 102 changing furnace filters and smoke alarm batteries he was talking to the tenant's kids.  Of course, kids don't know what's secret and what's not, right?

So the kids tell Diego about the dog they used to have - at the apartment.  Apparently they had a dog earlier in the year.  And when they left the apartment they would lock him in the bedroom.  The dog didn't like the bedroom and being separated so he clawed and dug a hole in the carpet by the door which the family covered up with a small rug.

So,  after getting 101 ready, we plunged into 102 - starting with cleaning out the fridge.  Anyone hungry?  There was left over pizza, a huge jar of pickles, some left over casseroles, and more!  What could be better?

We called a guy to haul away the washer and dryer and kept the lawn mower.  We're not sure why he had a lawn mower, however, but it turns out to be a pretty nice lawn mower!

So, we repainted, replaced flooring in every room, light fixtures, water damaged floors in laundry room, and more. Now it looks awesome, of course.  That's just the way we roll.

It ended up taking us about 4 weeks to get that unit done but by February 15 it was ready for tenants. We waited and waited asking our property manager 'what's up?'   She received plenty of inquiries about the unit but the all had dogs!  We  decided to hold out for a pet-free tenant!

It's Raining Cats and Dogs

It's been a while  since we've posted anything - and things were quiet for a while, but we had an amazing sequence of events which, of course, involved pets.  Last summer, 2016, the woman in unit 104 had a cat.  We knew she was moving out in July so we decided to turn a blind eye.  WRONG!

Meanwhile a new guy moved into 101 and promptly got a dog.  Of course, we told him he had to get rid of the dog, which he seemed to do.  At least the dog wasn't there when the Property Manager did a follow up check.

The lady in 104 moved out  - problem solved.  WRONG

Then 102 got a cat. and 103 got a cat.  Why?  Because 104 had a cat, so it must be okay, right?
By this time it's October.  And then we see it, or should I say, "them?"   Cat in the window, litter box in the bathroom - both 102 and 103.   Oh yea - and we also found out that 101 still has a dog.

Here's comes the ultimatum - Get rid of the pets or get out.  They all say okay and we think it's all good.  Then, in November, Diego had an unrelated chat with the people in 103 during which time they told us that their 5 year old daughter doesn't understand why they had to get rid of their cat when the people in 101 and 102 still had their pets.

So, we went back to them and issued the ultimatums again.  Get rid of the pets or get out by December 31.   The guy in 101 says that he'd rather keep his dog than keep his apartment and he would be out by Dec 15.

Flashback - last July we did a major renovation of Unit 101.  New carpet throughout, new paint on every wall and ceiling, scraped the popcorn ceiling.  It was pristine!

Now, here we are, six months later we had to repaint every wall all over again.  There were scratches, dings, gouges and dirt on every single wall.  Far more than we could cover with just a "touch up."

We decided enjoy Christmas and tackle it afterward.  So, by January 15th we had it ready to rent.  A fabulous new tenant - single mom - nurse - quiet - no pets.  Happy sigh.

What about 102, you ask?  I'll tel you next time.

September 2014 - Part II
In early September we told the tenants in 104 that we were going to raise their rent.  They couldn't  pay that much so they were working on finding a new place.  Now, rents in Greeley have gone crazy, occupancy is at an all time high and if we don't keep our rents at market levels, we'll end up with the deadbeat tenants .  Additionally, these rents are what is keeping mom  comfortably in her apartment! 

So mid-September Diego was at the apartments mowing lawns when he talked to Rosalinda who was moving out.  What?  Seems that there was an altercation at the apartment the previous night and boyfriend had beat her up, landed in jail, and now she was getting out of Dodge City, asap!  Who could blame her.  But, because she left in such a hurry, she had to leave a lot behind.  Really a lot. 
The apartment was full of furniture, cabinets full of food, pan of rice that had been cooking on the stove.  Additionally it was dirty, dirty, dirty. 

Though carpets would have to be replaced after just 1 year - but Smart Carpets were miracle workers!  We gave furniture to Arc and anyone who wanted it.  Threw a bunch of stuff away.  Wow.
Clean and rent!