Last week was so packed with stuff I did not get a chance to write and I apologize for that. I spent two full days showing property which was really fun and exciting. I also had things like the Elk Town Meeting and the monthly Realtor's association luncheon. It was just one of those weeks.
I promised to write a little about being a landlord. I can only really write from my personal experience, which has been very positive. I've had great fortune with my tenants, in both cases being single women who like to garden and keep an immaculate house. In both cases, I found that checking references and credit history were key in making sure I was getting good people. Because my tenant's live in a home on my property I am easily accessible to them and can quickly fix things that need repair. That is definitely a consideration for becoming a landlord - how far away will you be living? Will you want to make the drive on short notice? The alternative if you do live away is to hire a property management company to look after things for you. Century 21 Fort Bragg Realty offers this service out of that office. They take all the calls, take care of renting the properties and take care of maintenance. You simply pay them to do this so you aren't bothered directly.
This market has made investing in real estate more viable than in many years. You can get a large part of the mortgage payment covered by the rent, depending on what you spend in your initial investment. Some of the better priced properties in the Fort Bragg area are perfect for converting to rental homes; the lower the price, though, the more you may need to invest in initial repairs and upgrades.
Last weekend was the Anderson Valley Film Festival, from Friday evening through Sunday early evening. I was able to attend Sunday and really enjoyed the films - they ranged from a home video from the late '60's of the felling of a giant redwood - the infamous "one log load" on Hiatt's truck - to a wonderful film called Rivers of a Lost Coast about fly fishing on north coast rivers from the 40's through the 80's, to the National Geographic film about Mike Fay walking from Big Sur to Oregon through the redwoods. It's an annual event and a lot of fun and the films are truly amazing.
This weekend is the annual Catholic church crab feed in Boonville. It is probably the largest social event of the season. Everyone who manages to score a ticket goes and there's tons of crab, salad, garlic bread, a huge raffle and plenty of wine to drink. Then the 13th sees the Anderson Valley Health Center benefit dance at the Grange in Philo. Catfish Jack and Maria Villaboy open for Dean Titus and the Coyote Cowboys. It's sure to be a lot of dancing and listening fun!!