Video: The Weight of Real Estate

[Lionel Johnston]

Hi Folks, 

I'm not selling anything but am sharing my thoughts on the weight of real estate (aka responsibility). I'd love to hear your thoughts on my comments. 

"Have you ever considered the weight (aka responsibility) that comes with owning real estate? In this video, I share a story about my 'weight of real estate'.

I also get into an interesting debate about how tenants are and should be treated. Are tenants simply revenue-generating widgets, or should they be treated like a customer, meaning we're trying to earn and retain their business?

Also, there are many people that like to complain that rent is unaffordable and landlords are just greedy. Is that true? Comment below! "

[Alex Gunnerson]

Awesome video Lionel.  

Are tenants simply revenue-generating widgets, or should they be treated like a customer, meaning we're trying to earn and retain their business?

I'm naturally an optimist, but I really do believe that the number of landlords that treat their tenants like they are just numbers on a spreadsheet is much less than people who treat them like humans. With that being said, as we become more removed from our tenants by out sourcing property management, it becomes much easier to forget about the day to day experiences of our tenants. This video might be a good reminder for those landlords who have fallen into this trap.

There are many people that like to complain that rent is unaffordable and landlords are just greedy. Is that true?

People love to complain :) I try not to pay too much attention to these types of comments. Yes, there are some greedy landlords out there. However, you can only be so greedy for so long. If you are demanding significantly more than market rent, or you going cheap on all of your repairs, your tenants aren't going to stay with you for long. Sure some landlords might be able to get away with it for longer than they should, but I believe that treating your tenants fairly, like customers as you put it, is a win for all parties involved.

Unfortunately the 'complainers' are much more talkative than the people who are content.