Becoming a Landlord

    I pondered how to rent my home.  What if no one wanted it? Could I trust a tenant to treat my house with respect? What in the house needed to be fixed or updated? Could I collect enough for rent to cover my 15-year mortgage? 
    I turned these questions over in my mind as I walked Pansy one Saturday afternoon. She begged petting from a neighbor I hadn't met before as he and I struck up a conversation. I noticed he was selling his home. 
   "How is the real estate market around here? I'm looking into leasing out my house." 
   Robert smiled. "I've rented out various homes in this area for several years. The market is great right now. List it. It'll go." 
   He gave me the name of his real estate agent.  I asked about handling home repairs and maintenance. 
   "Who do they call? Me? The management company?"
   "I use American Home Shield." He said. "They will come and repair the appliances, AC, plumbing,ect. If it can't be fixed, they will replace it. All for a monthly fee." He gave me his contact info, telling me to call him with any questions.Good dog, Pansy! Thanks for the intro!
   I was swamped with LSAT prep at the time.  I decided to wait until after the test before plunging into becoming a landlord. Mentally, I began to take note of what I had to do: the quarter round in the master closet needed painting, the outdoor caulk required a re-do in spots, the carpets begged a professional cleaning. 
   I began to look for an apartment to rent.  I needed something close to my new job (starting in July) and also accessible to school.  I wanted a clean, safe rental but needed to stay under $800/mo.  I looked for one with a sliding glass door that could easily fit a dog door-Pansy would be learning to use a "doggy patch". 
   I evaluated my furniture. Some of it would have to be sold or donated to charity. I wouldn't have room and paying for a storage locker was impractical.  My stuff just wasn't worth that much to justify the expense.  
   June 11th, I called Carol, the agent Robert had recommended. She reassured me that the rent market was "hot".
   "Make your house available before school.  Families want to be settled by then." 
  Before school? Oh my! I needed to find a place to live.  I called an apartment complex in Hurst  that i had scouted via the Internet. They had a second-floor one bedroom (with the required patio door) available August 15.  I quickly applied and put down a deposit.  I then scheduled with Apple Movers. Then I rang Carol back.
   "House will be available August 16." 
   "Awesome!" 
  I sat blinking, my mind running furiously.  What was this going to cost? I had been averaging over 50 hours per week. July's income was going to be healthy. August was a different story: I would be switching to monthyly paychecks then. My emergency fund stood intrepidly at $1000. Would I be able to make it? 
   July's budget stood at $5413, August at $4,600.48.  Additional expenses included:

       Apartment deposit and application fees: $315
       Carpet cleaning and deodorizing : $257.64
       Moving: $600
       Pro-rated rent for August and 1/2 pet fees: $787.00
  I was expecting about $12,329.9 in income.  I could do it, if I was careful. 
  I had been planning to start showing the weekend of July 12. I had begun the necessary tasks as I could: weeding beds, trimming trees and bushes, paint touch-ups. I scoped out my competition, noting how long each home had been listed. Perhaps that wasn't enough time. I consulted Carol's assistant, Danielle. 
  "The sooner the better," she said.
 "Ok, let's start Thursday." It was Tuesday, June 24.
 I made some quick phone calls. Eddie and Pansy needed to be out of the house. Noel could dog-sit, while my neighbor Laura, would keep Eddie during the day. 
 After work I rushed home to furiously clean and straighten.  I needed to conceal any evidence of pets. In a large suitcase, I collected bowls, toys and treats.
 On Wednesday, my day off, I had an appointment to see the apartment I had leased.  It was nice, but smaller than I had imaged. More things would need to be sold or donated. 
 I rushed back home to pick-up dog poop in the yard, vacuum the sofa, scrub and deodorize carpet stains and re-apply gloss sealer to the painted concrete.
  I washed, folded and tucked five loads of laundry out of sight. I straightened cabinets and swept the garage. I put out fresh-cut flowers and a bowl of candy with a note thanking perspective tenants. I surveyed the house. It was beautiful, completely immaculate.
 Normally I keep my house warm. I decided to cool things to a pleasant 72 degrees. Two hours after I lowered the thermostat, the temperature stood at 80 degrees. I checked the vents and my outdoor AC unit. Air was blowing but it wasn't cold. 
 It was 10 pm. My HVAC system had just RSVP'd it's deepest regrets to my listing party.