Confessions Of A Property Manager pt 3

Let me start this one off by saying I looooove animals. Anyone who knows me knows that I adooooooore animals....

But it really bothers me as a property manager when....

7) a resident gets themselves an animal, whether it's a restricted breed or not, and they bring me in their "service animal" documents that look completely fake. Do I actually do anything about it? No, because I don't have the time to research or argue. Plus, no one wants to deal with the fair housing thing anyway.

8) Oh, is that your service animal I just witnessed urinate on your carpet right now?... And then fast forward a few months to when you move out and wonder why I had to charge you for carpet replacement...

9) Residents are too lazy to leash their animals. Yeah, it's really cute that your dog almost got hit by a car...

10) when residents leave their dogs on their deck. You just know he's going to end up peeing. C'mon, he deserves soft grass to pee on and your downstairs neighbor doesn't deserve a urine shower....(well, I'll determine if they deserve it or not...)

Confessions Of A Property Manager pt 2

Other things that grind my gears in property management:

3) When prospects schedule appointments to tour and they never show up. Especially when they schedule it during my normal lunch break. Even though I've said 'well, I normally take my lunch break then but I would be happy to show you around if that is the time you prefer"..... and being the jerks that they are they say yes, they need that time. So I sit around and wait while my stomach growls....and they never show. Of course.

4) When other apartment communities call for rental verification's and then get in a huge huffy when I don't get it done within 10 minutes.

5) When I'm in an appointment with a prospect and a resident comes in and ignores the fact that I am with someone and starts blabbing about their own issues. They don't even say "Oh, excuse me" or "I'm sorry" or "Do you have time to speak privately for a minute" Nothing like that. Because THEY are number one. Always. Forever. In their dreamland.

6) When I'm on a tour with someone for well over half an hour. And then talk to them on the phone more than once. And then show their family the community. And then correspond via email multiple times. And they never rent. Ever.

Confessions Of A Property Manager

This will be fun. I really need to write down everything that happens daily in my line of work that makes me laugh. This will be ongoing rant so that when I'm retired in 50 years I can look back fondly on these memories

1) When people put in work orders for a long list of things. They want it done NOW. But they don't want you in their apartment unless they are there. They are not currently home. Hmmmm, maybe they will be home in 2 days. Okay let's schedule an appointment for 2 days from now at this specific time that THEY choose. Two days later, we come a-knockin and they don't answer the door. We can't go in because they told us not to. So, we can't get the work done. And then they get pissed that the work still isn't done......

2) When people complain about how they can't pay rent. Or they can't make it into the office to pay in time. First of all, we are open 6 days a week. You can pay early, you know... You can bring it in one, two, three weeks before rent is due. A month in advance. On the 1st. 2nd. 3rd. or 4th of the month! Maybe getting off your butt and coming to the office is too much for you. This is why internet was created. We have a website. Didn't you know? You can pay online with a credit card, debit card, e-check and you can even have it automatically come our of your bank each month. Or you can have your bank mail me a check. The options are amazing! The only thing I cannot do is accept cash. But there's always that one person who makes everything difficult.

They say (but don't really say): "Oh my gosh, Sarah! It's 4:45PM on the 4th, I know rent is due in 15 minutes and I've literally had my entire life to figure this out but I've waited until just now to think about it. How can I pay my rent?"

I say: "Bring in a personal check." 

They say: "I don't have a checking account!" 

I say: "Go get a money order." 

They say: "I don't want to pay the extra money to get one!" 

I say: "Pay online." 

They say: "I don't believe in the internet."

I say: "Set up bill pay with your bank so that they mail it to me each month."

They say: "They will send you a check when I don't even have the money in my account!"

(I say in my mind:"JUST SHUT UP ALREADY. FIGURE YOUR OWN LIFE OUT")

Then they keep on talking "Oh I just can't get there in time. I've had so much going on. My car broke down and my boyfriend cheated on me. My brother's girlfriends sisters cat died and we had to have a funeral in her yard out in Kennewick a week ago and I've just been so busy..... FINE I'll bring rent to you in cash right now."

I say for the one millionth time "I don't accept cash"

They say "WHY?"

(I say in my mind: "Do you even have a brain?")

They say: "Whatever, I'll just figure it out. Can you wait an hour past your shift for me to deliver my rent to you so that you don't charge me a late fee? I'm on my way right now!" (that last part was fluffed up a little bit....)

(I say in my mind "No, you idiot, I'm outta here. It's dinner time.")

I say out loud: "I do apologize but the office closes in 15 minutes. I really must leave but if you can get in first thing in the morning I'll see what I can do"

...So they huff and puff and agree to try really hard to arrive in 15 minutes or to meet me at my office door first thing in the morning to avoid a late fee. Well, first thing in the morning arrives and look whoooooo isn't there, of course. They get a late fee. And they are mad at ME because they are late. 

Repeat this scenario every first week of the month. 

#lifeofapropertymanager

Living Up To The Stereotype

Let me just make some things clear on the blog I posted a few days ago.

I am a woman. I am the stereotypical female. Meaning, yes, I change my mind one million times. Some days I am happy. Some days I am sad. Some days I just don't care about anything and other days I care about everything. It literally takes me hours to decide what I want to eat for dinner....

I hope that none of you think that I am gearing up to leave my life. I AM happy with my husband and our home and our dog and our little life we live. Together we want nothing more than to be able to quit this life and just pack our things and travel to Alaska, Ireland, Italy, England.....and just leave! We BOTH dream of that stuff and we plan do it together.  We have both agreed that we are going to do those things together before we die.

I am crass. I am loud. I am stubborn. I am opinionated. I'm honest. I often do not take the time to filter my thoughts before they leave my mouth. I'm not afraid to let my wet delicates dry out in the open for everyone to see. 

Please don't think that this blog is my cry for help. I'm not in need of a psychiatrist or a divorce lawyer...

My blog is for me. These are my thoughts. MINE. They belong to me. Writing in a diary took too damn long and gave me hand cramps and I kept getting annoyed with every pen that died.....

LIFE IS GOOD. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL.

Just sometimes I hate it ... LOL

;)

Fitness Pizza in My Mouth

Like, really though.
Fitness is something that I have always struggled with and it is mostly because of my deeeeep love for FOOD! All the food: hot wings, bread, pasta, peaches, anything with lemons in it.... I just want it all. But it makes me sooooo fat! Thank laaaaawwwww that I only drink water! And wine.... And beer.....
I lost 40lbs in 2013. I had an active job where I was cleaning for 5 hours a day at an apartment community. I was eating healthy. I had alllll morning and early afternoon to meal prep and to run. I completed c25k very successfully and started running 3 miles every morning.
Then I moved to Spokane and stopped focusing on running and healthy foods. And my job is to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day and stare at a computer.
I try to go to the gym every day with Josh, but I can NOT stop eating....
Constant battle. Constant.

I Literally Can't Even

2015.
I missed another year and a half of my life.
We left off in December 2013 and now we are here, August 2015.
huh?
I can't even.
Literally.
I am 25 and fixin to be 26 in October.
My dog Bailey is 7 years old.
My husband and I have been married for over 2 years now. I love my husband.
I've worked for my company for 2 years and I like my job.
My life, overall, however, is not my favorite thing. I guess I thought I would be somewhere else. By somewhere else I mean.....just further? Further into the world. Deeper into knowledge. Seasoned. Happy. Settled down but successful. I imagined Josh would be happy in a career by now and I would have purchased my first home and maybe even close to having kids. But we are not near that. We are working towards it but not near it. Josh is awaiting school to start back up so he can finish his last year at Spokane Community College for Aviation Maintenance. We are nowhere near financially ready to buy a house and nowhere close to having kids. I probably won't ever have them, honestly. Every baby I see makes me want to vomit anyway. I do so enjoy the freedom of waking up at the crack of dawn and getting ready for the day by myself. I feel like a zombie in my own life.
Every single night I lay in bed and think about how easier it would be if I just had a few million dollars. Is that too much to ask? LOL. I want to wake up without setting an alarm. I don't want to have to follow a clock. I want to travel the world. I want to have a house in Alaska. I want to be far away from people. From noise. I want my family to happy and to be healthy. I want to adopt animals. I want goats. I want freeeeeddoooooommmmmmmm. Whenever I am not at work I spend my entire time daydreaming about a different life. A different time. I swoon to 1940s music and wish I wasn't even here...


Anyway, What's up with you guys?

;)

End of the Year

Another year is ending! 2013 is over? WHAT?! I feel like it was just 2012....

I started a job. Got married. Ended the job. Moved back across state. Started a job. Moved my husband across state. And now the year is over.... Is that really all that happened? When I think of it that way, I have a boring life. I didn't go skiing in the Alps or rescue dolphins from Japanese fisherman. I live a boring life. A simple life.

I did end up getting the best apartment, like, ever. It's huge and awesome. Besides the fact that all my appliances are 20 years old and only work half the time and when they do, not well at all. BUT, I get to be with my family all the time and I love it.

So, what will I do in 2014? Keep working. Keep living. But I want to start to think more positive thoughts and I also want to start keeping all of my receipts..... lol. I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

New to the old

It's September. As usual, I fail at the blogging thing.
So much has happened. Obviously....because it's been 4 months.
My husband and I had been planning on making a move back East for a while now. We wanted to move to Idaho in April but that never happened. So, we decided that we would attempt to make Spokane our home. For months, we both had been looking for jobs in Spokane but it wasn't very successful. All of a sudden, I got a bite! An apartment complex in Spokane Valley desperately needed a leasing consultant. I drove over in August to do a quick interview and was hired on the spot. I gave adequate notice to my job on the West Side and my husband and I decided that I would move to Spokane, while he stayed in Lacey to work, do school and search online for a job in Spokane. I moved away on August 20. It's been a long 3 weeks without my husband. It feels like it's been 2 months. He needs to find a job here ASAP! lol. He'll be moving here FOR SURE the last week of October. That is when our lease ends. I'm currently living with my parents and have already scouted a place for us to live once he gets here.
It's been INSANELY BUSY since I got here. I'm a full time leasing consultant and it really is WORK. Nothing like the leasing I was doing on the west side. I work for Riverstone Residential Group. They are very well known and train their employees very well. There is so much room for growth and advancement within this company and so far, I LOVE it! I love renting apartments and meeting people and organizing paperwork. It's been great. We have a lot of fun in this community too. I can only look forward to what is going to happen in the future :)

Oh yeah, I've also lost 31 pounds. So that's a plus.

May!

Another 3 months gone by! Where does the time go?
I got married March 11. I am now Sarah Knutson. I love my job as a leasing agent. And I've been healthier the last 2 months. I exercise 4-5X a week and eat a ton of fresh fruits and veggies. I have cut out a LOT of sugar from my diet and I no longer consume cows milk. Unsweetened almond milk is where it's at. I have so much more energy and sleep a lot better. I have nothing more to say other than life is GREAT! Josh and I are taking 9 days off of work to go see the kids in Idaho on May 16. Can't wait :) See you in another 3 months? haha.

February!

Well, it's February. January flew by. Time always flies when I'm unemployed. I enjoy being unemployed. But I'm not anymore! I've been working for the last 5 days. Yahoo! I am a leasing consultant at an apartment complex in Tumwater, WA. So far, it's good but it's a TON of information that I have yet to absorb and I'm working totally alone tonight. I could really screw things up. The apartment complex has weird weird weird addresses and I get really lost just driving through.... It shall be interesting.

What else? Josh and I have decided to "elope"... not that we are going to run off somewhere but once we have money hanging around, we are gonna go down to the courthouse and get it done. It will be a last minute decision. I'm totes into that. Spontaneity makes me happy. 

It didn't snow at all this winter! I'm amazed! It was awful last year. So, I'm happy about that. I love how cold it is here. Not freezing, of course, but perfect cold. Always 30-40 degrees. Loooove it.

What else? Hmmm, nothing! Until next month ;)

2013

It's here it's here it's here! 2013 is here! And I guess it's time to reflect on all that happened in 2012.

I started this blog a year ago with intentions of posting and organizing my thoughts on a daily basis. That didn't exactly work out.... I ended up only thinking for myself 1-3 times a month! That isn't near enough. I feel like if I had taken the time every day to sit down with just myself and my thoughts, I would have been a much happier person in 2012. So, what happened?!

I vacationed in the Caribbean-one of the most beautiful places in the world with the best granny I have.

I moved to Western Washington to be with the man that I love.

I started work in the "real world."

Josh and I moved into our own place.

I turned 23.

I got engaged.

I quit my miserable job.

What else? That feels like all that I have accomplished. Looking back, I feel like 2012 went by really really fast and really kinda sucked. Having a job that you hate really changes your outlook on life and how you feel about the other aspects of your life. I don't wish that on anyone.

I guess for 2013 I will make it a goal to find work in something that I am passionate about. I also will get married. I am planning on November buuuuut I'm going to convince Josh to elope ;) It'll happen and it'll happen soon. Look out 2013, 13 is my favorite number. Imma OWN YOU!

I'm looking to kick my old habits and become a successful person!!!!! Who will you be?