LANDLORDING 101

Three weeks ago we posted our house for rent on the BYU housing webpage. We received no calls. Two days ago I stuck some signs in front of the house, at the corner and at a main crossroad, and the phone won't stop ringing. The signs were black with red writing, and came with a miniscule wooden stake affixed with double sided tape to its back. The stake was only slightly larger and more durable than a wooden ruler (the kind with the metal strip on one side that I used in elementary school). The double sided tape was not strong enough to keep Callan from ripping one of the stakes of the back of the sign, and the staples I used didn't hold up to the forty mile an hour gusts of wind that ripped through Provo yesterday. On my drive home yesterday I noticed the sign at the crossroad was tipped over and broken, and the sign in front of the house had blown completely off the two wooden stakes, which were still stuck erect in our front lawn.

However, despite the problems with the signs (which I was able to fix with some clear packing tape) we received several calls about the house and it looks like we'll have some renters selected by the weekend. The success of the signage has not come without problems though. In my eagerness to get the signs posted, I neglected to finalize the details of the rental agreement. Because we hadn't ironed out all the details about rent, deposit, pets, etc. Melissa wasn't able to answer questions when people called. On top of that, the house has been a disaster lately so we've had to show renters the house fully decorated with moving boxes, dirty dishes, and smelly laundry. While I've been at work all day Melissa has been trying to field questions about the house, draw up rental contracts, download renter applications, sign us up for health insurance, take care of Callan, cook, clean the house, clean up after Callan, pack up the house, find a storage unit, prepare for a church function she is planning, go grocery shopping, and try to get a shower in every day.

I stayed up late last night to clean the house and get some other things in order, so hopefully today will be less stressful for her. I'm on my way to the grocery store, then home, then off to job number two. When I get home Melissa will go to her church function and I will show the house to potential renters. And in Five weeks, we'll be on a plane to Japan, and someone else will be using our shower, weeding our garden, and Sleeping under our roof.