Anonymous donor contributes $1 million to apartment fire victims

Source: KARE TC Mpls. St. Paul

an anonymous donor has come forward to provide $1 million to help residents of a Burnsville, Mn. apartment complex that burned to the ground last night,

each family will get %17,500,

wow.

Read more: http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=533518&catid=2

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merry Christmas.
this may restore my faith in people...

there are still good people out there....

The nerve!

I own a couple of lease homes, and I give my tenants (if they are good tenants) free rent for the month of December. Tenants are usually young couples with a family and can use the extra money for Christmas presents for the kids. Not all landlords are money-grubbing misers. I am a retired 54 yr old that has enjoyed good fortune for the last twenty years, and rewarding tenants that are responsible and take care of my properties is a no-brainer. They tend to stay longer, call less, and are willing to handle the small stuff themselves. That's exactly what I look for in a tenant!

Not to mention, it feels good knowing I helped put an extra present or two under the tree come Christmas.

I tend to run into the opposite types - the "I've got mine, the hell with you" types.

Good for you!

..I know what it's like to be poor. When I first married back in 1976, I had nothing but a job and a couple of hundred bucks. I've worked for minimum wage, had to take advantage of unemployment benefits, and have been a couple of months behind on payments before.
I always called whoever it was I owed, told them of my lack of funds, and always promised I would pay. I always did!

I've been laid-off three times over the years, so I know hard times. Now, I am in a position to repay the kindness I was shown when I was in need. Through a twist of fate, I am now a millionaire. No job, no stress, no debt. But, if you met me, you'd probably just think I was a blue-collar joe, because I am. I haven't really gotten accustomed to having money yet. I have never owned a new car, and probably never will...they are a terrible investment.

:hug:

Things have not been going great this season, so it is always wonderful and heartwarming to read this kind of thing. My best to you, your tenants and the people mentioned in the OP.

Been there myself, so I have a lot of empathy for the poor, especially poor children. My family was poor growing up. We were always renters and many, many times I heard my parents discuss how they may be out on the street if they didn't pay their rent. As a little girl I would lay in bed wondering what they would do with my clothes and bed and would the school bus pick me up right next to the street where my bed was:)

I now probably have close to a million dollars in assets, etc. but I really couldn't care less about that. It's nice to have that security but I'd be OK if I didn't also. I live a pretty simple life too (by choice). Don't get me wrong. We live in a nice house, but it's modest. We have relatively new cars but nothing special.

:yourock:

I rented many apartments in my young adulthood before purchasing my home, and i wish I had landlords half as cool as you.

:yourock:

You truly are Paying It Forward.

so generous!

never returned the security deposit no matter how much we cleaned or how untouched the apartment was. And in virtually every situation, there was some level of owner neglect of property that was one giant hassle. I came to hate landlords. When hubby and I had to rent a condo for two years that we couldn't sell, we remembered our own experiences and became the landlords from heaven: "Is there anything you need?" "Is there something that we need to keep our eye on?" "We expect normal wear and tear on our unit." -- our tenant could not believe it. Having been there certainly helps!

I had one of those for a landlord - student rental of a townhouse in the Bad Part of Town, no less - and it continuously threw me for a loop. Kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and it just didn't!

I was renting a furnished room and some of the stuff (nothing important; a desk or something) was a couple days late arriving, and the guy gave me a fortnight off my rent for that month as a result. He pulled similar things over the course of the year a few times, and generally went out of his way to accomodate folks' situations. You'd better believe we tried to be model tenants in reply; what goes around comes around there.

stay longer, call less, and a<m> willing to handle the small stuff <my>sel<f>.

I am very much a "keep to myself" sort of person. I don't like to be pestered or interrupted when I am reading, writing, working, or sleeping. Even my closest friends call well in advance and never just drop in on me.

I have had annoying landlords in the past, and they drove me up a wall. I have lived in my current apartment since June 2001, and I never call my landlord unless there is something that absolutely must be taken care of. Apparently I am unusual. His other tenants seem to pester him mercilessly. I also keep my lawn mowed and my walk shoveled (when it snows), which is part of the deal all his tenants agree to up front, and which his previous tenants here never did (and apparently his other tenants are not good about). Even now that I am physically incapable of doing either, I hire someone to do it for me.

As a result, my landlord leaves me alone, too, which is a real blessing to me. He and his wife are also very nice people, and when we do encounter each other, we actually like to visit for a few minutes. I live in a duplex, and about once every year to year and a half he needs to rent the other apartment again. He always makes an effort to get me nice neighbors--people who will also be friendly but never pester me because they also don't like to be pestered. For example, when I take my trash to the curb, If my neighbor hasn't taken his out yet, I roll his there too. And when I roll my trashcan back after pick-up, I roll his back too. If he takes his out or rolls his back first, though, then he takes care of mine as well. We aren’t unfriendly—just busy and a bit reclusive.

My landlord will let the other apartment in this duplex go empty a while longer rather than rent it to the sort of neighbor I don't want. I really appreciate that. Of course, by looking for renters like me, he is also doing himself a favor, because like me, they don't bother him. The only problem he has with them is that, unlike me, they don't usually stay long, because this is a college town and even non-students tend to be a bit transient. I am older, so I am more settled than the 20-something professionals he rents the other half to. (My current neighbor is a young product designer just a few years into his career. As he moves up in his career, he will undoubtedly move out.)

Sometime in the next year, I will want to exchange my one-bedroom for a two-bedroom. When I do, I will definitely rent from my same landlord. In fact, if he doesn't have a two-bedroom available when I am ready, I will wait until he does, because I am determined to keep the same landlord. But he has actually told me that as long as I give him an idea of when I want to move into a two-bedroom, he will save one for me.

I trust him so much that I actually give him four to six rent checks made out and signed in advance so that I don’t have to remember to send the rent each month. Remembering to pay rent each month is hard for me since I am so very, very busy and distracted all the time. When his wife uses the last one, she sends me a note with a self-addressed stamped envelope enclosed, and I use it to send her another half-year’s worth of rent checks. (Obviously, the fact that my rent is never late is another reason they like me.)

I love my landlord!

I've been burnt by tenants countless times, but the ones I remember are the good ones. I also own an apartment complex in Dallas.
We have 158 units, completely gated with security cameras, two pools, jacuzzis, covered parking, a laudromat, and a small lake adjoining the property that my tenants can use for picnics or fishing. It has been beautifully landscaped. We have had some tenants for 20 years!
Our on-site manager is instructed to keep the place in good shape, and she does a very, very, good job. You just don't find places like this. Right now, we are at 100% occupancy with a long waiting list. What really makes it attractive is the price. Newer complexes in the area are charging $1000-$1200/mo rent. Ours run $450 to $650/mo. Our apartments are older, but very well maintained , modernized, and we make an effort to re-invest every year to keep them that way. They have been paid for for years, so it's all profit for us.

I am fortunate to have good partners in this venture. We are all on the same track, don't mind spending what is necessary to keep our property attractive. Recently, we have had offers on the property....really nice offers! Almost too good to be true, but what would we do with the money? We are all financially secure and retired, and our property yields about 10% on our investment. Where are you going to get that kind of return?

When something works, you don't mess with success.

Happy holidays to you, and thank you for being a good tenant. You sound like my kinda person!

... though not as lucky as *your* tenants. You are extremely kind, but also a smart business owner.

Back when I was renting, I had good landlords (even in college towns) ... always quick to respond for appropriate repairs, sometime would allow me to paint (with approved colors), never nicked me for unwarranted security or first month deposits. You bet in return I tried to be a good tenant by paying on time, keeping the places clean, shoveling shared sidewalks, etc.

I always figured it's part of that whole community/society thing we're striving for. Again, though, I understand that I have been lucky in my renting experiences.

I hope someday I too am in a position to be able to do something as kind as that! This article and you have restored my faith in humanity yet again! Thank you for sharing! :hug:

:thumbsup:

Great. Now the repugs can sit back on their fat asses and make that obscene claim that we don't need government to take care of the poor and needy..that the thousand candles of light...or whatever the f*ck it's called, will come forth and take care of those in need. THEREFORE, we can forget about having government social agencies. Let's just let the "good churches" and the philanthropists take care of those in need. Yup...that works...like ONCE in a hundred years.

Good for this situation....bad for the myth that our problems as a community and society can be handled by those willing to GIVE. I'd guess it was probably a liberal democrat that donated the money. The repugs sleep with theirs stuff in their underwear.

Now again...how many times have we heard about such an act??? hmmmmm...this makes one.

She and her two small children. This is simply wonderful of whoever it is to do this.

Best Post This Week! Easily!

Good stuff!

So much better than, say, Paris Hilton.

She did her 'time' and apparently learned her lesson and grew up alot.

I don't think anyone should throw any *shit* at her anymore at this point (unless, of course, she puts herself in some other 'shitworthy' position in the future.)

after McCain compared Obama to her and Britney.

Her response to McLame was phenomenal.