I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it lately, and I certainly don’t say it enough – but my husband is an incredible entrepreneur. He’s clever, wise, and thoughtful about creating and running businesses – always on the look-out for a need that can be met in our community which will provide for our family and/or bless others.
He looks for good investment opportunities, and does hours of research before pursuing a new idea. I love that he is “visionary” and very intentional about not having all of our “eggs in one basket”. As a result, it’s hard for us to answer the question, “So Matt – what do you do for a living?”
Short answer: He’s a self-employed business owner. Long answer: He has a snow removal/lawn care business, does small construction jobs for people, and manages the storage units we own and rent out. He is also an assistant coach for our York College ladies soccer team. (And those are just the jobs that earn money. I won’t take the time right now to list everything he does on a volunteer basis to bless people in our church and community.)
Well, as of last Friday, you can add one more title to Matt’s name: Landlord.
Yep, we have invested in our first rental home. If you can believe it, we put an offer on the house way back in July. One crazy thing after another kept coming up to prevent us from closing on the house – from basement issues to paperwork delays. We were sure we would close by the end of September – so sure in fact that we had renters planning to move in October 1st. When we got the call on September 29 that there was a delay – we almost panicked.
I should clarify. I panicked. Matt calmly solved the problem. Thankfully, we were buying this house from friends who had moved away, so they let the renters move in and we acted as temporary “property managers”.
Finally, on Friday we signed the final paperwork. The house is ours! Now, along with the storage units we rent out, we also rent out a home to a nice family here in town.
Oh, and here’s a (not so) funny story: This morning Matt’s cell phone rang early. Of all things – just three days after the house became ours, a knob in the shower busted off, causing water to “leak” from the second floor through to the kitchen on the main floor, and all the way down to the basement. Wasn’t that a nice way to welcome us to the life of a landlord? :)
Thankfully, not only is Matt a savvy business man and investor, but he is also quite handy with home repairs. Several hours of work and $0.63 later, all is well in the rental home.
Seriously…63¢. I can’t believe that’s all the money that repair took. I love this guy and his home improvement abilities, ambitions, goals, and business sense. And I’m thankful for how God continues to provide for our family – even if it is sometimes hard to give the short answer for “what we do for a living”. :)
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Jackie says
Congratulations! That house was for sale forever!!!
kourtney says
What a cute house! I wish it was mine! :)
Lisa says
What a blessing!
It Feels Like Chaos says
Congratulations! Oh, how I wish we had some better home improvement skills, seems like there’s always something that needs fixing and I hate calling and paying someone to do it!
Jill Roper says
That is so cool Laura. What a cute house. Congratulations.
Anne Kimball says
And you bless your husband! You two are a wonderful couple. Congrats on being landlords! We lived in rentals growing up, and the two of you will make a big difference in that families life. You will bring dignity to a place where it is not usually found.
Amy says
Congratulations!
Cathy says
Congratulations Laura! Becoming landlords is the best financial decision that my husband and I have ever made. It’s rare that you get those kind of phone calls that you have already experienced…so you already have that under your belt. And that fact that Matt is handy with home repairs will make your new endeavor even easier and more profitable.
Lisa @ HappyinDoleValley says
So how cool is that?! Congrats to you and Matt on the new “job!” God always provides — it just looks different from family to family. You’re both setting such a terrific example for your boys to follow. What a blessing! Oh, and I almost forgot, today I’m sharing the blessing of having my kids read good books and journal about the blessings in their lives. Thanks for hosting, Laura!
~Lisa :)
Deb says
Laura, your posts are so encouraging. You will be great landlords, we own now, but have rented many times off and on through school, etc. and a kind landlord who fixes things in a timely manner is such a blessing. May God richly bless your every endeavor, I remember reading when you first stepped out and he quit his job, so exciting to read of God’s faithfulness, inspires me to take more risks for the Kingdom!
Ashley says
Yeah! So glad you are official!
Now that you know it only cost 63 cents, and there was no major damage, you can laugh, right?
Meghan says
That is exciting! Congratulations. I love the color of the home. Looks spacious too. I wonder if this family will cook as much as you. Not possible, lol.
Barb says
Congratulations!!!
blair says
U should go to a plumbing supply store and get a water key to keep there, so they can turn the water off at the meter, in case of any other major leaks.
Laura says
The guy actually called us from the basement where Matt talked him through where to turn off the water, so that worked out great!
Andrea says
Congratulations! We’re own rental property, too, and enjoy it. One thing we’ve learned along the way is to set aside a savings acct specifically for the rental. Twice we’ve had appliances go out in our house and the rent house at the same time! Our dishwasher went out, so did the one in the rental. Same thing with the water heater, too. Both in one week.
God bless you in your journey
Andrea
Patty says
I admire you guys so much for ALL that you do! You’re such a cool family, and I love following your blog! I’m linking up today, but I realized right after I published my blog post that I forgot to put the link up “join us for Gratituesday” I’m sorry about that!
Jamie Garcia says
Welcome to being a Landlord, that is SO the normal story! Ours have been terrific investments, but anyone that asks me about buying a rental (esp a resi rental) I always caution about the amount of work involved and WHEN that work seems to pop up (ahem Fridays at 6pm usually). You guys are already ahead of the game with your husband’s fix-it abilities though! Congrats!
Laurie Collett says
Welcome to being a landlord! As you’ve already learned, it’s a mixed blessing! Thanks for the great post & for hosting, & God bless!
Cookinitup says
That is awesome news! Congratulations! Definitely a mixed blessing to be landlords. But I can already see all the possible learning opportunities for your boys here too! Best of luck to you and your family with this newest endeavor!