I have owned rental property for over 5 years now, and it has been an interesting journey, in many cases, into the mindset of those that are, and will continue to be, lifelong renters. I am not speaking of all that I have or are currently renting to. This is a stepping stone for some into greater things. Not only home ownership, but other ventures as well. I will use my Porterdale properties as an example. Porterdale is an old textile mill town in Newton County, Georgia, and, like pretty much all mill towns, the economy of the area went downhill after the mill closed. The homes were originally owned by the mill, and families who worked there were provided a place to live as part of their compensation. The homes in this area were sold off to private owners in 1962, and many were purchased by the worker who already lived in the house. We are now seeing a renewal of many of these communities, including Porterdale. The mill has been converted into loft apartments and businesses, and the downtown commercial buildings are in the process of restoration. The area is slowly recovering. It takes time for a mill village to come back, as many of the homes, most built in the 1920’s or 30’s, need renovations to make them attract higher rents. I own eight properties in the area, and I have observed some common behaviors that tell a story. First, a good percentage that move to the area are looking for affordable living arrangements while they rebound from bad decisions or bad luck. Something has cost them everything, maybe a broken marriage, illness, a habit, etc. These individuals/families plan to stay long enough to move on to something better. Many allow the area to affect them, and they are pulled back into a vicious cycle of bad habits that pushes them to the bottom once again, but some do succeed and move on to better things. Others are the lifelong residents of depressed areas, and these are the topic of my discussion. I checked a year or so back, and calculated that roughly 95% of my tenants in Porterdale smoked. Almost every household had at least one smoker, and most had multiple people. I am not after smokers, but these households struggle from month to month to afford their rent. Many drink regularly as well. There is always an excuse for why they did what they did. And why do they hang with people that bring them down? An attitude of unworthiness causes them to avoid people that will help pull them up higher than their standard of measure. A natural gravitation towards people that are lower or in the same mess they are in prevents any hope of improvement. Several of my tenants have told me that I am the first person who has ever treated them as though they are worth anything. How sad. It shows in these individuals: No self worth, and absolutely no hope based on their current course. Some receive mental health benefits/support, and it goes back to their upbringing or the crowd they chose to run with. When I receive calls inquiring about the dollar amount of the rent, I either hear “that’s not too bad”, “I can’t afford that”, “that’s too expensive”, or “do you have anything else cheaper?”. I have never, in this area, had someone negotiate the price. On my more expensive homes outside of the area this sometimes occurs, but in the mill village they look at my prices lik I see many who are “self employed” as house cleaners, handymen, painters, etc. Sometimes this is a start of a home based business, but the ones I see in the village are often unemployable in the public sector. Either they have a bad temper, or a habit that prevents them from holding a job. I have noticed during cleanup after moveouts that pornography is a widespread habit in the area. I see the evidence. I once found, after someone moved out on me, a large ziplock bag containing his Bible and his porn. They just won’t ditch the habits that pull them down. Another oddity that maybe someone can explain. I have gone in after moveouts, and I always find tons of pennies everywhere. Sometime I find other values of coins, but always pennies. FYI- I do run background and credit. I turn some away. The checks don’t catch it all. When someone breaks a lease and moves out, most property owners won’t spend the money to file a dispossessory unless enough money is owed to warrant going to court. This allows the problem tenants to move on to another untapped landlord. Some leave everything they touch worse than they found it; after the resources are used up and destroyed, it’s time to move to greener pastures. It’s tough to reach any higher than you see yourself. Self worth means a lot, and kids need to know they are loved and worthy of a better life. Children are a responsibility to parents, and if they are not loved they will often live a life full of despair and regrets. Provide a good start, and if they mess it up they are to blame.