Sidetracked Charley

It all began with walls and rug   When I began the project of the short term rental I was not even sure it would work. I just knew that for the last ten years of being a land lady it wasn't working for me. Tenants had changed in the years since I bought the duplex. First couple which rented the attached apartment stayed for nine years. They treated the places as theirs and even planted flowers and a couple trees and painted walls. I expected the next tenants to be not as wonderful as Jeff and Susan. But some did not come close. I wound up having to file eviction papers, even defend myself in court. But worst part was spending all my money to put the rental right so it could be rented again. It was not helping with my mortgage payments. I could not even get tenants to contribute to clearing the driveway of snow. In the end it seemed wiser to drain all the pipes and shut of the electricity and keep it empty. Covid-19 pandemic happened and the studio was shut down by the governor. To ...

  When the pandemic had just plunged us into a lock down a long time renter had just bought a house and moved out. As was my practice I did not want to immediately rent my apartment out. A month or two empty was good for repairs and improvements. But with the passage of legislation to get us past this crisis I changed my mind. If I had a renter I could not press them for rent payments or could I evict them for non-payment. I decided as converting my rental property to short term -- VRBO or AirB&B. And so I began. My previous renter had left some furniture. The big things she didn't want to move. I certainly had art for the walls. And the carpet needed replaced. A friend sold me some laminate flooring she had overbought. I love to paint. Yes, even walls. And as I knew I was redoing the floors no drip cloths required. Living room looking toward entry hall As it is what is called and open floor plan downstairs there is no painting just one room. I picked up more paint cards than i...