Thursday, January 3, 2019

THE MAUI HOUSE - Part 6

Two years ago, when my daughter mentioned she wished I could live near her and her little family while the boys were young, I immediately went into thinking mode.  I wanted to keep the Maui house because it was Mr. Ralph's dream come true.  And, when the boys became teenagers, they might come spend the summers with me ... who wouldn't want their summer job to be in Maui?

I found a property management company who got good reviews from Maui neighbors who had used them for years.  When she came to visit she said she wouldn't feel comfortable renting it because it was too awesome!  Renters would be hard on everything, inside and out.  Most properties she rented were empty and the bare basics outside.

About the same time, a friend I met through volunteering, Lisa Lou Who, was just informed her condo rent was going to increase.  Again ... every year.  Hmmm ... she loved my outdoor living area and loved gardening ... if I rented to her, at HER current rate, it would cover all my costs + $800 per month.  That would almost be enough to cover a studio apartment in Portland.  I mentioned my scheme to her.


She would be getting a tremendous bargain ... a two car garage and more space and the outdoors of all outdoors.  Electric would be $20 a month (instead of $200+) and rather than change utilities out of my name, I included them (up to a maximum) in her rent.  A bit nicer neighborhood for her AND she had already met several of my neighbor friends.

I was getting peace of mind that LLW would care for things just as I would, maybe even better.  I could leave everything there ... coffee maker, kitchen stuff, garage filled with the necessities of upkeep, bikes.  And I could ask her for two weeks of vacation there ... as part of the lease.


This could really be a win/win situation!

6 comments:

  1. Sounds like a win/win. I hope it turned out that way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The day she moved in, she became HELPLESS! She texted about every little thing. If I didn't respond in under two minutes, she texted again. If another minute went by she got all pissy and said "Well, I guess you just aren't a landlord today" Never mind. I'll figure it out.

      When I did respond she would be very antagonistic and harshly say "No, I already tried that" Usually, if she would be patient enough to go step by step, the device or appliance WOULD work.

      No. This doesn't end well at all. Not at all.

      Delete
  2. I was about to write that this sounded like a great deal for both of you, then I read your reply to Jean. My brother rents several houses that he bought just for the purpose of renting, but honestly, I don't know how he does it. My son rents his condo in NY to a doctor who is single and has no pets. They haven't raised the rent for several years because the guy never bothers them with anything, and when they check out the place, it's in great condition. They really lucked out.

    I have to catch up. I've been absent from the blog world for a couple of weeks. Happy New Year!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So many people I know have had very successful long term rentals.
      Just not the luck of the draw for me!

      Delete
  3. I think "could be" are the operative words here.

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    Replies
    1. Truly! For the longest time, I though I was doing something wrong. After a month of daily demands, I asked my kids to read two texts (hers then mine) and give their perspective ... they said evict her!!!

      Delete

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