The Real Monster in Real Estate

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Ghouls and ghoulettes, it’s spooky season.

Halloween is right around the corner, and you’re bound to see plenty of horrifying creatures roaming the streets — werewolves, vampires, zombies, you name it.

But you know what really terrifies me?

A vacant property.

I mean seriously — who wants the headache of a house that’s not generating income?

After I bought my most recent property, it sat vacant for about a month while I tried to get it rented out. And during that stretch, a phrase my dad used to say kept echoing in my head:

That saying ended up shaping how I handled the situation — and how I turned a slow season into a win.

🎃 The Setup

I bought the house on September 11th, and my first mortgage payment wasn’t due until November 1st.

That gave me a month and a half to find a tenant before money started flowing the wrong way.

Plenty of time — or so I thought. Because while time was on my side, the tenant pool wasn’t.

Dozens of showings.
A handful of applications.
But credit was weak.

As is my nature, I started worrying that I wouldn’t find a quality tenant in time.

🧟 The Twist

Then someone reached out. A couple.

They’d just sold their home and were looking for a place to rent while they hunted for their next fixer-upper.

This couple had a pattern — buy an older house, move in, fix it up, sell it, repeat. But with their last flip sold faster than expected, they suddenly needed temporary lodging until their next project came along.

Perfect timing for both of us.

They liked the property, I liked their story. And then they said something that completely flipped the situation on its head...

They offered to pay the entire year’s rent upfront if I provided a discount.

🕯️ The Decision

If you’ve ever been a landlord, you know your biggest risk is nonpayment.

Well, this offer completely eliminated that risk. And as long as I made sure the discounted rent would still cover my mortgage and provide a healthy buffer, I’d be dumb not to take it, right?

But still, I had a nagging thought…

A year from now, I’d be right back where I started — trying to fill the place again, maybe in another slow season. That sounds like a cycle for perpetually low rent.

So that’s when I had an idea.

I asked the couple, “Would you consider a six-month lease instead?”

Turns out, they actually preferred it — they expected to buy their next property by spring anyway.

That small change made the deal much stronger:

• I still got paid upfront.

• I only had to discount six months, not twelve.

• And I’d re-list in April with a year lease, when the market is hot and tenant quality peaks.

Win. Win. Win.

💡 The Lesson

Sometimes making money work for you isn’t about squeezing every last dollar — it’s about reducing risk and improving your future position.

Vacancies are the real monsters.
And the best way to slay them?
Be flexible. Get creative.
And remember: part of something is better than all of nothing.

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