Landlord Chronicles - An Update

Just checking in to give an update on how things are going on my newest undertaking; becoming a landlord. As for lessons learned thus far, I would have to say the biggest lesson is that your personal network of friends and connections is one of the most powerful things you have access to. If you don't know someone who can help you with something chances are someone you know knows someone.

In my last post I detailed about how my primary concern was marketing my place. Well I have a hockey buddy named Bob who owns his own photography business. The company name is Lorusso Studios and if you ever need anything regarding photography I strongly recommend his work. I got Bob to come and shoot some pictures of my place. They turned out great and are serving as the basis of my marketing push which will hit the web full force on Monday. Click here to see my Postlets profile which can be inserted into any classified ad or social networking site. I think it really makes the home stand out amongst a myriad of postings on different sites. I knew the Postlets profile was a great start but I didn't feel as though it told the story of our home, so I created a blog just for our place. The blog allows me to direct potential rental applicants to a site with multiple pictures so they instantly know whether my rental is for them or not. Its like promotion and potential applicant screening all in one. I know when I was searching for our place and other rental properties I didn't even think to check out a place without a picture. The more pictures the better. People love information and a picture is one of the quickest and easiest ways to tell someone the story of your property. I have made it easier for people to gain access to my property's story.

After working my way through some of the sexier aspects of my new venture like taking the pictures, marketing, etc. I knew that there were some details that I needed to tend to. Once again a few good buddies led me to the answers and resources I was looking for. My buddy Eric has a brother in law who has quite a few rental properties and he had his brother in law call me. We talked for a bit and he was extremely helpful. He even shared his lease agreement with me, which I thought was pretty cool because a lot of experience goes into building those things and he has never even met me. I also touched base with an old roller hockey buddy back in Oregon who I knew did a bit of real estate investing. I asked him if he has any tenants and how he screens them etc. He put me in touch with another roller hockey kid's girlfriend who works at a credit/background screening company. I called her up and that issue was solved. It's pretty amazing how small the world is becoming.

So far it has been a great learning experience. Pretty stressful, but a good experience regardless. I will continue to post updates down the road to landlord land, and if you think you have any leads to fill my property let me know!

Guest Bloggage - Andrew Ramsey

Welcome to the second edition of Guest Bloggage featuring Andrew Ramsey. I served alongside Rammer as a fellow Captain of the Air Force Hockey Team and let me tell you he is a world class individual. He has always been a go getter and a hell of a hockey player, but being a year older than him and having the opportunity to watch him develop as a player, teammate, and most importantly as a person, was truly a great experience. Insert tissue or homo-erotic joke here. Without spoiling some of what Rammer is about to go into detail about, I wanted to elaborate on why we used to call him "the Renaissance man" or "Renaissance Rammer." Having gone on endless road trips and having shared tons of different experiences with him I can assure you that he does what he advises. What I mean by that is that this guy is a gifted networker and knows a little about everything! I am going to take credit for coming up with the name the Renaissance man (I am pretty sure I did) because no matter what situation he was in people loved him. As I started watching him it became almost comical how he could relate to anything. We would be at an airport and he would strike up a conversation with a 45 year old cougar who sells insurance and somehow he could relate to everything they said. We would be in Germany and he would be having a conversation, in German no less, with the owner of a photography shop about cameras. We all used to give him a hard time but the older I get the more valuable and appreciative (even envious) I am of this skill. I'm telling you, heed his advice because he lives it. Enjoy.

As business minded professionals we are always attempting to move forward, progress, get better, get ahead, etc. One great way to do that is to draw on help from the people you know. The formal term for this is 'networking,' but it really comes down to interpersonal relationships and having a sincere interest in other people's lives.

Many of my friends know me as Renaissance Rammer. I think this stems from my ability to walk into a room of complete strangers and leave the room an hour later with a few new friends. One of those new friends might be someone you go grab a beer with or catch a game with in the future. Another might be someone who will end up playing a crucial role in you being accepted to a top tier B-school or land you that perfect job you've been waiting for for years. The ability to do this comes natural to some and must be studied and learned by others. Here are a couple tips:

-Knowledge. Often we know a lot about one subject. It's something we've studied and we are engaged in that topic every day. For initiating contacts in a completely unfamiliar place you must know a little about a lot. In large gatherings people will usually section off into groups of two three or four. You have to be able to walk up to a group of strangers, withstand a few odd looks at first, gather info in only a few seconds about their conversation, then either contribute something interesting about that topic, or ask an insightful question to the person who seems to be the expert of the group. Your ability to know a little about a lot can be improved by reading books on all topics and publications as well as drawing on experiences in your life that might apply to the conversation.

-Ask questions, shut your mouth, and listen. Often life is about the questions that are asked, not the answers that are given. If you can ask a meaningful question to someone on a topic they know in depth you are on your way. You will build up their confidence and allow them to elaborate on their expertise. You then listen closely and find a way to tie your expertise into theirs. Then you've made them feel good and they will be more willing to listen to what you have to say. If they are a good communicator they will respect your ability to listen and return the gesture.

-The follow on. Rarely do you accomplish your goal in this first meeting with a new person. You have to find someone with whom you connected well enough to continue the conversation at a later date. It's important you always have a business card or other means to leave your contact information with someone. Also, it's helpful to keep the ball in your court and let them know that you plan on contacting them to grab a coffee/lunch/drink in a week or two. This allows you to be the one who takes control of the future meeting. You don't want to wait around for someone else to get back to you. In the mean time, do your homework on that person. See what their company does. Google them. Read their blog. Read a book they've read. This will allow your conversation to flow naturally on topics which you now have in common.

Now, I've only focused on a narrow part of networking: working an unfamiliar room to find the few key people who you can bring into your network in order to help you achieve your goal and help them achieve their goal. Sometimes it'll be a large group sometimes you will be faced with a one on one situation. Either way, you can't be afraid to jump in, stick your hand out, and meet a new face.

Other areas that you should look into are: managing your network and contacts, helping others develop their network, and making links between different networks you have (for example, alumni network and business networks and extracurricular networks). I have some great stories that I'll have to share on later posts (how I saved myself from being stationed in the middle of nowhere for my first assignment in the AF, how I funded a trip to Switzerland to play hockey in high school, how I got a premier parking spot in downtown Boston for 4 months for free, and how I plan to wheel an MBA from Harvard Business School on someone Else's dime, while getting paid full time).

I want to thank Matt for asking me to say a few words about networking. I hope I can contribute more down the road. He is a charismatic guy who has his hand in many unique and hard to infiltrate networks. I am excited to see where he goes and what he does.