That's what you get

It's Saturday morning and I've just finished breakfast and am heading to my project of the day, tearing out wet sheetrock. Thursday, sometime during the day, the water heater burst on one of my rental houses. This particular house happens to be on the second level with garages below. Luckily, I stopped by the garages to get something. When I opened the walk door, water was raining from the ceiling, soaking all the furniture and other items that we and the tenants had stored there. Racing upstairs, I found water gushing like a geyser from the heater. After getting the water turned off, I was kind of in shock. Called my insurance man and found out if I turn in another claim on this property, I'll get dropped since I'd already turned in a claim from an electrical fire on the same property 10 months ago. So.......call the experts. I called Intek, they are the best and had them tear up all the carpet, throw out the wet pad and set up the fans and dehumidifiers upstairs. I have been standing on a ladder tearing down wet double 5/8 sheetrock firewall and insulation from the ceiling. Last night I was exhausted. But, so it goes. It was an accident, nobody got hurt, the tenants have been incredibly cool about the whole deal, even though they are spending the weekend in Sioux Falls because the noisy fans make it impossible to sleep. I'm off to finish the job this morning, hopefully. If anybody thinks rental properties are the easy way to wealth, take it from me. The path is long and hard, the payoffs are years in the future and then only if real estate doesn't tank. In between, you can look forward to chasing dead-beat tenants that won't pay, keeping an eye out for smuggled in dogs and cats, illegal drugs, loud parties, leaking roofs, painting, mowing, spraying, fertilizing, advertising, screening tenants, and repairing the door the SWAT team broke down on a drug raid tip. You'd better be handy at carpentry, plumbing, roofing, electical, marriage counseling, and debt collecting. You must also be non-discriminitory but be prepared for the court summons anyway, and it doesn't hurt to have a lawyer on retainer. OK, I've had a bad week and I'm done bitching now.