[AT] Renters paying for old tractors :-)

[Francis Robinson]

>
>	Rents collected from others have paid for many of my antique
>tractors and my new shop so I'm not complaining - just relating how things
>go when you are a landlord.
>
>Cecil
>



	We have a good renter in one house... Son Scott.   :-)
	The house in town has a good renter in it (couple) so far. Knock wood...
	The renters in the house in the next county east of here have been generally good renters and she 
takes good care of a house. They do get into money trouble now and then and we feel the pinch but so far 
they have always gotten caught back up "eventually". Times are tough in spots here and at the moment her 
husband (automotive factory) is on short hours. I don't mind working with them a bit since they were in 
another house when we got it and had been for several years. They have rented from us for some time. I have 
lost money on a few true deadbeats and have tossed a few out, one at the end of two weeks. I have taken a 
few to court and always gotten what I wanted. Lost money on my first renter years ago. The wife was a good 
renter and took excellent care of the house even though her health kept her from working but hubby was a 
trucker (well liked by his employer) and got "tangled" up with some gal at a truckstop. Suddenly payment 
stopped and then he declared bankruptcy.
	I once repaired a big shotgun blast hole clear through a wall. Some of the other stuff people can tear 
up is unbelievable. It is hard to rent a place in the dead of winter her sometimes. I would almost rather leave 
an otherwise good renter in place and behind on the rent than to boot them out and have the thing set empty 
in Jan. Feb. and March.
	One months rents would buy an old tractor, but there is always someone else standing there with their 
hand out everytime I get any money...   ;-)   Somehow there are always more hands sticking out than there is 
money coming in.
	I mentioned things being tough in spots. It is really spotty here. Some factories are cutting back and 
some are giving up completely but the community in general is growing at a silly rate and houses are popping 
up like toadstools. Many here are now paying the price for the days of "creative financing". Some days there 
are 6 to 8 sheriff's sales of houses in the paper. One night there were 15. Small retail really sucks here but the 
big guys are doing well.
	On a tractor note the farm equipment dealers here used to employee 75 to 100 people depending on 
the season. Now we don't have a single dealer in the whole county. Back in the 1950's there were two Oliver, 
two Ford, two IHC and two MM dealers in this county. Also very busy John Deere and AC dealers and a 
couple of independents. Now zip...



"farmer"


Francis Robinson
Central Indiana USA
robinson at svs.net