Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the moment. Here’s why Eric thinks Julie Andrews wouldn’t feel so bad. Happy Holidays!
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Resources Mentioned in this Episode
My Favorite Things – Julie Andrews
Invictus Poem
Show Transcription:
Speaker 1: 00:00 Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of RentPrep for landlords. This is episode number 238 and today we’re gonna be talking about why Julie Andrews would have made one hell of a landlord.
Music: 00:12 1,2,3,4 ya ya ya…. Welcome to the RentPrep for landlords podcast. And now your host, Steve White and Eric Worral.
Eric Worral: 00:22 Specifically, I’m talking about Julie Andrews and the role of Maria in the sound of music. So everyone’s heard music from the sound of music. If you don’t know that film was released on March,2, 1965 in the United States, and it was the film of the year with the highest grossing film in 1965. And by November 1966, the sound of music had become the highest grossing film of all time. Surpassing gone with the wind. Thank you. Wikipedia. So this movie was a huge deal when it came out back in the 60’s and I happened to hear one of the songs, probably the most famous song from it. And that song is my favorite things. So in case you’re not familiar or maybe you just want to hear some stranger on a podcast where you just. Some of the lyrics here goes
Song: 01:10 Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, Brown paper packages tied up with strings. These are a few of my favorite things.
Eric Worral: 01:22 So that probably rings a bell and we’ve all heard that song. But the reason I thought that Julie Andrews and this role is Maria would make a heck of a landlord is the perspective that she has in the song. So the song has a couple more versus on talking about the small things that matter so much and why they’re her favorite things. But then the, the uh, this one, uh, verse comes in and it says
Song: 01:46 When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I’m feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don’t feel so bad.
Eric Worral: 02:00 All right? So I probably butchered that. But. So the song, when I was listening to that part of it, I was thinking of it from a landlord’s perspective because a landlord deals with this. There’s a lot of things in situations and scenarios where you feel like you’re getting punched in the face as a landlord and you know, instead of the dog biting, maybe the dog’s barking and the neighbors complaining about it instead of the bees stinging the rent’s late, you know, when you’re feeling sad, it might be because you’re dealing with some sort of situation where you feel pinched because you’ve got a tenant applicant that you know, is trying to pull a fast one on you. Or there’s all these scenarios that just kind of come up as a landlord where it can be pretty easy to feel sad at times. And I had that earlier this year. I, uh, the basement flooded at the property, not substantially, just a few inches. But, uh, there was a bunch of stuff I had to take care of. I got a Baxter from, uh, and, you know, waste management and had to fill that up and I spent a Saturday afternoon taking care of that and I can guarantee you that there was a few expletives going through my mind that day. And I was feeling pretty, pretty sad. But, uh, in those moments, being able to pull yourself out and having that perspective like Julie Andrews character did and the sound of music and thinking about the small things that matter helps so much. And I thought that this would be an interesting topic for today because we’re in the midst of the holiday season and, you know, it’s very easy to get tied up and thinking about, you know, sometimes the negative things, uh, especially as a landlord, you know, it’s very easy to kind of gripe and Moan and, you know, think about all the negative things that are happening.
Eric Worral: 03:35 But, uh, sometimes I think it’s important not just to think about, okay, the rent that’s going to be coming in, the fact that you have an appreciating asset, the fact that you’re thinking about your investment future and what the freedom and flexibility that could bring with it, but also the things in the now right now that have nothing to do with that. Uh, if I’m getting personal for me, uh, you know, that’s family time, right? And I have a young son, uh, just over a year old and getting to see him grow and explore and, you know, his capabilities increase each week, you know, talk more, running around laughing, all that stuff. And uh, there’s times that I’ll be hanging out with my son and while I’m with him, he’s doing something really cute or you know, he’s doing something that normally I would kind of absorb and be able to feel and experience and think, uh, just think about how special it is. But my mind is somewhere else, uh, you know, I’m thinking about work, I’m thinking about the issue that popped up at the rental property or with tenants or I’m thinking about, you know, some investment or something like that. My brain’s very future focused and I have to kind of reel it in sometimes. And sometimes it’s like a fish on a hook and the real is just spending. My brain is just a thousand miles away even though I’m just sitting there with my wife and my son. And a song like this by Julie Andrews is so great because it’s just talking about the simple things, cream, colored ponies and crisp apple strudel. I mean, does it get any more simple than that? It does doorbells and sleigh bells and Schnitzel with noodles, wild geese that fly with the moon and their wings. These are a few of my favorite things.
Eric Worral: 05:17 I think it’s just a beautiful lyric. I know it’s an older song. It’s a classic at this point, but, uh, it’s just such a great reminder. You know, the, the things that really matter sometimes are some of the smallest things and thinking of those things, keeping those things close to your heart and your perspective, uh, I think is really great to have that arsenal of things to you that are a few of your favorite things that are so small so that when you do find yourself in the midst of, about to lose your mind because something crazy has happened, whether it be at your work as a landlord, property manager, what have you. Keeping those things in perspective and having that little tool chest that you can kind go back to you and say, you know, what, like there’s some really small things that happen around me that are pretty great and uh, they, they can really change your view of the world and be able to pull you out of a tough situation.
Eric Worral: 06:08 So, uh, with that said, I did present a question to the RentPrep for landlords Facebook group this week and I want to read a few of the responses that I got on that post because I thought there’d be really great content for the podcast this week in the midst of the holiday season. So, uh, let’s get to that.
Eric Worral: 06:29 So I posted on Monday at 11, 11:13 AM and I was just asking anybody if they have any heartwarming landlord stories to share and it will be specifically used for this podcast. And I got a few people that kind of commented that I wanted to share some of their stories and maybe you know, you as a landlord, if you think about it, you know, you’ve gone through some tough situations, but there, I’m sure there’s some heartwarming stories if you’ve been in it long enough. So, uh, Amanda was saying in her comment that she’s had a few tenants over 20 plus years and she’d been rehabilitating and renting out properties and that have been really great when I need to show the dwelling to perspective tenants.
Eric Worral: 07:03 So she said that some of these tenants have gotten the place, so spotlessly cleaned that they have wonderful room fresheners going and uh, she’s just experienced that these tenants have made it so easy for her to find new tenant. So I know that’s kind of an awkward situation sometimes when you’re showing a property because the tenants moving out. But she was just saying in her 20 plus years that she’s had some incredible tenants who have gone above and beyond when showing a property and making sure everything is spotless. So that was cool for her to share.
Eric Worral: 07:33 Margaret, who’s pretty active in the group, she has a double success story, so she said that when we were working on updating remodeling of our mobile home rental, a lady inquired about it and she said that she was section eight, but she was kind of worried about that when she heard that, but the lady was insistent that she’d be a great runner and it showed that her credit score was in the high seven hundreds, so she decided to take a chance. The inspection went well. She moved in and for three years she was the landlord’s dream. Always paid her half. Do you share the rent on time? Kept the house clean like a doll house, and took wonderful care of the yard. When she moved out, she left it sparkling, clean smelling fresh and rental ready. So recently she was contacted by the housing authority out in Colorado and they wanted her opinion of this ex tenant because this person had applied to buy her own house. She was so happy for her that she was able to turn her life around and she can live under her roof. Now. I wish there were more section eight tenants like that who was a little help, can stand on their own two feet. Again, I thought that was a great story because obviously section eight sometimes comes with a cloud around it and people get a negative opinion of it. But this is a great story from Margaret just talking about how the program worked flawlessly. Like it’s supposed to work for this center and was able to get them back on their feet so that the homeowner now and there were just a terrific runner. A thank you Margaret for that story.
Eric Worral: 08:56 One last story. This comes from Bushra and uh, she says that they have a new tenant that just started running from them in November. So sometimes, and this comes up in the facebook group a lot at run prep for landlords and the story’s very similar where somebody has a new renter come in and then all of a sudden the story starts changing or they can’t pay the security deposit because these things going on and they don’t know what to do. So this is kind of one of those stories. So in this situation, the rent for November was paid with the security deposit, but before he moved in so that it was not an issue for the month of December, but they had some issue receiving the money via Xcel, which a lot of people are using, you know, through bank transactions. And he had scheduled the payment in advance, but somehow is getting delayed. He offered to pay the late charges, which I waited for him for being the first time he went above and beyond and paid for the month of January, along with December. So we’re able to resolve the issues and now he’s paid through February. I thought that was awesome. So her tenant essentially had an honest error, which may not even be his fault, just the rent for whatever reason, it didn’t go through even though he scheduled the payment via Xcel. Um, but instead of, you know, just kind of skirting the issue, he said, you know what, I’m going to pay this month and next month’s rent right now, so I’m going to be a month ahead because of this issue. And he just wanted to express his gratitude for her a waiving the late fee since it was a first time offense.
Eric Worral: 10:29 I thought that was a great example of excellent communication between the landlord and the tenant and both people coming and meeting in the middle and compromising. And in the end it works out better for both. So I thought that was a just a great story. Thank you Bushra for sharing that. I really appreciate it. So to tie out our podcast today, because it is a kind of a feel good podcast, what I want to do is actually read one of my favorite poems and maybe we’ll discuss it just a little bit, uh, after we read it. And let’s take a listen right now.
Poem: 11:05 Invictus by William Ernest Henley. How do the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole. I think whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul in the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud under the bludgeonings of chance. My head is bloody but unbowed beyond this place of wrath and tears, looms but the horror of the shade. And yet the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how straight the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.
Eric Worral: 11:59 Again, kind of tying a piece of poetry or whether it’d be the song earlier back to landlords. I just thought this is such a beautifully dark but beautiful poem where it’s talking about the fact that as a person that you, it doesn’t matter what’s happened in the past, that you have the power to change your future. You know, it doesn’t matter how straight the gate or charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul. And I think as a landlord, that’s you. You know, if you’re a property manager, landlord, like that’s completely you. You control your destiny. You are the captain. So, uh, keeping that in mind, going into 20, 19, here, soon, just keep that in mind along with the perspective of Julie Andrews. Uh, if you’re finding yourself in a dark place that you’re the captain here and sometimes it’s the small things in life that really matter and that really bring you joy and those are your favorite things. So, uh, hope you guys are having a great holiday, whether that’d be Hanukkah or Christmas or anything in between or outside of that. Just want to wish you a great holiday and, um, yeah, we’ll uh, we’ll be back next week. All right. Thank you. Take care.