Texas

She got the job because her mother used to hold the position. Her mother was the prior resident in the apartment below mine for about one year before the undesirable neighbors occupied the apartment. The neighbors attempted to retaliate against us when we reported the dog feces on the patio, but their complaints went nowhere because the apartment manager's mother never reported us for anything and because the neighbors were already proven liars.

The neighbors probably could have gotten away with the two lease violations if the guy hadn't yelled at me. I brought it up to one of the maintenance men (my weed dealer) on the following day (Saturday) and he let me know that the couple was already running behind on rent. I also sent an email on Sunday to the apartment manager that I wanted to speak to her about a problem without being specific. The next morning there were other maintenance men present noting the presence of the dog and I informed them that they should also check to see whether the man was named on the lease which he wasn't. The couple got what they deserved when evicted considering that they had two lease violations and several neighbors felt threatened by the ex-con. The other members of the maintenance team were also glad to see them leave since neither of them worked.

I will say that the maintenance on the apartment is prompt so I don't want to cause too many problems. The apartment management also sent out a revised memo regarding late payments, individual requests to delay payment (it will be considered if it is infrequent and not abused), and that on the 18th of the month eviction notices will be filed. It appears that the manager may have been too lax prior to that memo being sent to the tenants so I'm glad that management is being more vigilant about the process.

Personally, I was never in a position where I could buy a house because the prices were too high. However, I did take advantage of the situation by getting into the employee stockownership program after reading the annual company prospectus. The financial holding group was one of the counterparties to the derivative trades of AIG in 2009 so every decline in AIG stock increased the stock price of the ESOP. I made about a 30% return for each of the four years I was in the ESOP and exited when the stock was near its high point. I stuck around for the 6 years after my employer went into voluntary liquidation to file workers compensation financial data to the appropriate agencies.

I also avoided some problems by not being a homeowner. I always rejoiced every year when I didn't get a property tax bill or did not perform any outside maintenance. It's been over 10 years since I mowed a yard (my father's) or trimmed any shrubbery and I don't miss it. While I might have built some equity, I also knew that I was on a limited timeframe of employment at the insurance company where I worked. Looking back, I would have been forced to sell quickly after becoming unemployed or face a foreclosure so I avoided one misfortune.