@Alex Rodriguez-Parra, you gave voice to so much of what I've thought and felt. Thank you!
I got into buy-and-hold (landlording) investing barely knowing what I was doing. I read a lot really fast, and applied it. Doing okay so far. But after taking over an inhabited, three-unit residential property, which had been sorely neglected by the previous owners, I had an epiphany, too.
My new tenants were so grateful to me for actually caring about their homes--and, to a landlord-appropriate degree, about them--that they fairly glowed. I found that I loved finding out what was needed and taking care of it. I loved even better brainstorming with my new tenants about little extras they might want: a fenced dog yard, landscaping, better parking, raised veggie garden beds.
It struck me that landlording is a caring profession. Nothing I'd read had told me that. I grew into it with relish.
Of course, as time went on, I got to experience some of the downsides of this caring profession. We all know them, so I won't list them here. But I somehow get through them, and my heart is gladdened again every time a tenant tells me that I'm the best landlord they've ever had, that they really appreciate how I work with them.
Thank you for reminding me of the deeper whys!
