On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 14:55:09 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

I thought this rental business venture was going to be like Donald
Trump....
turned out to be more like Schneider, the building super from "One Day at
a
Time".

ROTFL!

Yeah, people have this vision of running any kind of rentals -- apartments,
hotels, motels, B&Bs, rooming houses -- as just sitting in a rocking chair,
collecting money. They don't see all the time spent snaking bottles of
shampoo out of toilets, or re-attaching towel bars...

With *our* place, (and this is partially my fault for perpetuating the "Bob
Newhart" myth in a well-known magazine), I'm actually occasionally asked
what I do with "the rest of my time" -- the implication being that SURELY
running this little place isn't a full-time job.

I used to get incensed. Now Mary and I just laugh and laugh, nearly to
tears, leaving the poor inquisitor wondering what they said that was sooooo
funny...

I'd think the hysterical tone would give it away.:-))

When I was a kid, my folks would buy up *inexpensive* homes and small
stores. Fix them up and then rent or sell. Even on land contracts it
took a long time to get your money back after spending all summer
working some very long days.

I only have 40 acres left of the "old family farm" and had thought of
selling it. What I get off rent, or share cropping (figures out about
the same) is just about what I'd get per year on a land contract. So
I might just as well keep it.

OTOH *most* successful businesses run by an individual or family take
a lot of work and oft times the business ends up running you instead
of you running it.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

;-)