Preparing for the Renters

My FIL and I spent about three hours last night putting up some blinds I purchased from Home Depot on my way home from work. It took us about one hour to figure out how to install one, and then two hours to install the other 14. I also took the time to water the trees/shrubs one last time before the renters move in. I got the cheap plastic blinds, but they still set me back about $180, but it makes the place look nice. I was putting one of the blinds up and it slipped out of my grasp. As I went to catch it, I managed to snap the ends off two of the blades. Luckily, the blinds come with spares, and I took it hoe with me and managed to repair my blunder. I'll run over there tonight and put it back up.

I'm still not sure what to do about the garage. It is wired for a garage door opener, but I never put one in. It also has a lock on it, but I was never given a key for it or had it replaced. If the tenants scream and yell about it, I guess I'll fork over the money to put an automatic garage door opener in or replace the lock.

I also made a few calls to the utility companies. Electric will be shut off on Thursday. The water and sewer will need to be transferred to the new tenants name. I guess I'll have to coordinate with them on getting this transferred. I also called the propane gas company, and they said they are still working with HUD in getting the previous owner's balance taken care of. However, they said this has no bearing on me or my tenants. Whew! The problem though is that they said they need a week to get things set up and to schedule an orientation with the tenants. The tenants are expecting to move in this Saturday, so I see headache #1 coming on.

I wrote my RE agent (since she is responsible for getting the tenants in properly) with all the information. She also sent me the tenants credit reports and criminal background, which I still need to find time to read. I glanced over both quickly last night, and while there are a few blips, I don't think they'll be troublesome. (But who really knows.)