Empty

We got beat by another tenant. There's nothing like driving up to your own rental property and finding it empty with zero notice and (of course) zero rent in hand. The irony is that, as we approached what I believe would've been the end of this particular tenant's 4th year with us, Venesa and I had pretty much resolved not to renew her lease in the Spring. Well, she obviously beat us to the punch (and oh what a sucker punch it was). Our reasons for thinking eviction? While she never missed a payment in those 40+ months (praise God for silver linings), the hundreds of dollars in late fees that she steadily paid (seemingly more often than not) never seemed to outweigh the heartache of wondering when our luck would run out with her. [As an aside, I remember one string of months last year when she paid late fees for so many months in a row, that I honestly forgot how much her rent was really supposed to be]. Renting to her was like playing a hot hand at the poker table: You knew it wouldn't last. It couldn't last. It was all about getting out while you were still ahead. Well... so much for that window of opportunity. Doggone thing slammed shut right on my finger tips.

I could write an entire book on everything that led up to this particular incident, and two more chapters entitled, "Where do we go from here?" But at the end of the day, the only productive thing to do (after some solid prayer) is to pick yourself off the floor and get to work with the development and execution of a well-laid plan. In the meantime, I pray that God continues to honor our obedience to Him and cover our family (financially, emotionally and spiritually) as we navigate this storm.

Doggone Deadbeat Tenants.