A while back, as many of you may remember, I was out looking at houses to buy but was unable to find anything that I could afford. And by afford, I mean not just the payments but everything else that goes along with owning a house.
About a month or so ago, a "friend" suggested that I start looking around again. "There are some real cute houses around here for about $30,000," she said. Really? All of the ones I've seen around here that are in that price range have had their share of major problems, to put it mildly. "My husband and I just got a real cute one for that price," she said. "It didn't need any work at all."
Now, finding a move-in ready house in that price range around here is like finding a $2,000 late-model, low-mileage, mint condition BMW at Bud's Bargain Motors. It's not likely to happen. I know, because I have been out there looking. So I was a bit annoyed that she didn't let me know about this bargain. After all, she and her husband are in much better shape financially and can easily afford to pay more. And, she has repeatedly expressed concern about my living condition.
Well . . . it turns out that she was off a bit in telling me how much she paid for that cute little house that I would have just loved. Just a little bit. About $44,000 off. According to her Realtor, she actually paid $74,000 for that house. How that came about is after one too many conversations about wonderful and cute $30,000 houses for sale in this area, I asked her for her Realtor's name and set up an appointment. "You will love her," she said.
Not. The Realtor was rude and abrupt. Sort of like the lawyer I went to see last month. As soon as she heard that I was in a trailer park, she snapped, "I don't deal with those kinds of problems." I wasn't asking her to settle the dispute between me and my landlord. I wanted to know about all these real cute houses that my friend said were available. "They are dumps," she said. "You aren't going to get anything decent for that price." I already know that. I said, "Joan told me that you found her a house for $30,000 that was pretty nice and didn't need much work." "Joan didn't pay $30,000 for that house!" she exclaimed. "She bought it for $74,000!" Oh . . . . Why doesn't THAT surprise me? I said, "that is what she told me. I was a bit suspicious, I have to admit, but that is what she told me." And I said, "I do not appreciate being lied to and misled in such a manner." No, no, no, no, you can't say lie. I can't? There is a huge difference between $30,000 and $74,000. About $44,000 worth of difference. That's not a small amount. That's not an honest mistake. And Joan runs a business. If she doesn't know the difference between $30,000 and $74,000 she should have gone out of business a long time ago. That is the kind of number game my absentee anonymous landlord plays. I have come to expect it from him (or her). Not from a friend.
I am just dumbstruck. Why on earth would she say such a thing? Did she honestly think she was doing me a favor by providing information that was not true? Did she honestly think I would not find out? I thought we were friends. This is something I'd expect from someone who was out to make fun of me. I did not think Joan was that kind of person. She never struck me as the mean type, the make fun of type. So I left. I have not said anything to Joan. What good would it do?
Meanwhile, I have not yet received a summons to court. We did not get our rent statements until December 3, and they are supposed to be in California by December 1st or a $50 late fee will be tacked on. Knowing this, I estimated what my November rent would be and sent it in the day after Thanksgiving. A couple of other people did the same, but most just waited. Anyway, my electric was down to $13, after October's unexplained high of $86. But they added a $50 charge on to the $66 that I am disputing. So now I "owe" $116. No, I do not. I wrote them yet another letter saying I would not pay that and that if I did not hear from them by the end of the year, that I would put my rent in escrow. Which is basically a bluff, but it worked before with the previous owners. I also informed them that the next letter I sent would also go to the park's Michigan license holder, whom I mentioned by name. A Mr. Samer Gorial of Sterling Heights, Michigan. He has quite an interesting blog on trailer park investing, by the way. The Internet is a wonderful thing indeed.
About a month or so ago, a "friend" suggested that I start looking around again. "There are some real cute houses around here for about $30,000," she said. Really? All of the ones I've seen around here that are in that price range have had their share of major problems, to put it mildly. "My husband and I just got a real cute one for that price," she said. "It didn't need any work at all."
Now, finding a move-in ready house in that price range around here is like finding a $2,000 late-model, low-mileage, mint condition BMW at Bud's Bargain Motors. It's not likely to happen. I know, because I have been out there looking. So I was a bit annoyed that she didn't let me know about this bargain. After all, she and her husband are in much better shape financially and can easily afford to pay more. And, she has repeatedly expressed concern about my living condition.
Well . . . it turns out that she was off a bit in telling me how much she paid for that cute little house that I would have just loved. Just a little bit. About $44,000 off. According to her Realtor, she actually paid $74,000 for that house. How that came about is after one too many conversations about wonderful and cute $30,000 houses for sale in this area, I asked her for her Realtor's name and set up an appointment. "You will love her," she said.
Not. The Realtor was rude and abrupt. Sort of like the lawyer I went to see last month. As soon as she heard that I was in a trailer park, she snapped, "I don't deal with those kinds of problems." I wasn't asking her to settle the dispute between me and my landlord. I wanted to know about all these real cute houses that my friend said were available. "They are dumps," she said. "You aren't going to get anything decent for that price." I already know that. I said, "Joan told me that you found her a house for $30,000 that was pretty nice and didn't need much work." "Joan didn't pay $30,000 for that house!" she exclaimed. "She bought it for $74,000!" Oh . . . . Why doesn't THAT surprise me? I said, "that is what she told me. I was a bit suspicious, I have to admit, but that is what she told me." And I said, "I do not appreciate being lied to and misled in such a manner." No, no, no, no, you can't say lie. I can't? There is a huge difference between $30,000 and $74,000. About $44,000 worth of difference. That's not a small amount. That's not an honest mistake. And Joan runs a business. If she doesn't know the difference between $30,000 and $74,000 she should have gone out of business a long time ago. That is the kind of number game my absentee anonymous landlord plays. I have come to expect it from him (or her). Not from a friend.
I am just dumbstruck. Why on earth would she say such a thing? Did she honestly think she was doing me a favor by providing information that was not true? Did she honestly think I would not find out? I thought we were friends. This is something I'd expect from someone who was out to make fun of me. I did not think Joan was that kind of person. She never struck me as the mean type, the make fun of type. So I left. I have not said anything to Joan. What good would it do?
Meanwhile, I have not yet received a summons to court. We did not get our rent statements until December 3, and they are supposed to be in California by December 1st or a $50 late fee will be tacked on. Knowing this, I estimated what my November rent would be and sent it in the day after Thanksgiving. A couple of other people did the same, but most just waited. Anyway, my electric was down to $13, after October's unexplained high of $86. But they added a $50 charge on to the $66 that I am disputing. So now I "owe" $116. No, I do not. I wrote them yet another letter saying I would not pay that and that if I did not hear from them by the end of the year, that I would put my rent in escrow. Which is basically a bluff, but it worked before with the previous owners. I also informed them that the next letter I sent would also go to the park's Michigan license holder, whom I mentioned by name. A Mr. Samer Gorial of Sterling Heights, Michigan. He has quite an interesting blog on trailer park investing, by the way. The Internet is a wonderful thing indeed.
