Rookie Landlord

[BigV]

I've recently agreed to rent my house out.

This is a *big* deal for me, emotionally, financially, logistically, relationally. Twil and I live together now. Since I got a (real) job, not working at J-Lube anymore, it's been more practical and more pleasant to live with her in her house. But that means we're living in one and paying for two. I have a good job I love, but the pay has left me just a little under-solvent. And when you're losing a dollar a unit, you can't really make it up on volume.

The emotional component is largely due to the fact that this is my first house, my only house (I don't even have a Monopoly yet!). Tink and I bought this house in 1993. It's been the only house I've ever owned. And I raised a family in it for a couple decades. It's *full* of stuff. Not just my stuff, but I have kids that have moved out, moved back, moved out, and back, etc, etc. Not everything in the house actually belongs to me. So I have to get all that taken care of.

Speaking of "things in the house that are not mine" there are four people living there, my son, my sister, my brother and his girlfriend. They have to go, too. The conversations have all been opened, but no one has a new place yet.

Yeah.... I think I covered all those bases.

Right now, it's just a GIANT pile of work, with a hard end date/move in date. I'll be moving back to the house, starting tomorrow night, so I can work at work all day and then come home and work until I drop so I can get up and do it all over again.

I wanted to start this thread to get youse guyz up to date and to give me a place to put my works-in-progress photos. Also, anyone who's got good advice to be a successful landlord, speak up. I'm a rookie and it's the end of spring training almost. Opening day is almost here.