January 17, 2018
I have to believe that every rental department in any real estate business is different, but also the same. I work as a Rental Manager right now and I am chomping at the bit to get out. I have given notice and I'm training my replacement and they just hired someone to come in to replace her position (office manager) that that girl is leaving to come into my position. So I have to stay to train her.
The good part is I still get a hefty pay check while I'm training and I can sit back and let them do the work while I guide them, but now the work is getting a little complicated. I have been in the position since late June, early July and it has been a whirlwind. The old rental manager who was there for eight years, left without training me and the BIC (Broker in Charge) didn't know everything about the new software, so it has been a slow crawl on learning the system while renters have been coming in and out, cleanings happening, refunds paid, owners paid, deposits, and paperwork backing up while I try to catch up. Everyone has been forgiving because I jumped in while it was crazy, but that doesn't help the fact that I have to get up to speed now before I go.
So now it is January 2018 and we are trying to close out the year, but have a lot of maintenance to do before we can print out those 1099's for owners. One of the issues is taxes. As a rental department you have to pay sales and use tax by the 20th of every month. I have done that diligently without fail or late penalty and the reports have matched every time. But now that we are at the end, there are taxes that are showing up as not being paid for various months. This has been because there have been various things done to the reservations over the last three five months that have effected the taxes paid. And with it being new software and an accounting issue, it has become a nightmare.
Now the Broker in Charge wants me to print out two reports (the original report when we paid the taxes) and the current report and create a Excel spreadsheet to show why we don't or do owe taxes. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Anyway, I will attempt to do that next week then get all the 1099's out, then get all the marketing collateral and new owners contracts with the new rental guidelines out before January 25, before Jennifer (the Broker in Charge) goes into surgery for her eye. She has basil cell cancer and may have to have reconstructive surgery.
I have promised to stay until March 1st, but they think we'll have everyone hired and trained by Feb. 15. I am also going to sell real estate part-time there since Highlands Cove Realty has paid for my Board dues, my CE and my license renewal.
In the meantime, I have been trying to get back into the Total Rewards department at the casino so I can have some income to replace my hefty paycheck now, but they are sick and tired of me moving in and out of that department so they may not let me back in.
I work now as a Guest Services Representative in the Promotions department and that position only works on Thursdays for the free slot tournament and two nights a month for concerts or any other drawings or promotional event that might come up throughout the year.
So my alternative plan is to start acting again and doing extra work to stay busy until I can get more hours at the casino. Years ago, when I was acting in Los Angeles, I got into SAG ,but when we moved back to North Carolina I decided to take a break from it in 2012. I didn't want to have to pay the yearly dues of $200 and SAG and AFTRA were getting ready to merge so I thought the dues might be higher. What's great is, since I wrote them a letter asking to be go inactive and I was in good standing, all I have to do is to pay the dues for the year ($105.06) and I'm reactivated. This might be a hindrance to me when trying to get an acting job, since I don't have an agent, but we'll see. At least, I'll get the chance to see the movies that will be reviewed for the Golden Globes, SAG Awards and eventually the Academy Awards. I love movies!!!
The reason I started this post was, I was complaining to my husband this morning about the rental business and how I can't wait for it to end. At the same time, I told him I loved the office and the people I work with. He asked me if I had told my boss that (hate the rental part, but love the office) and I said yes. I told him, I had tried to get Jennifer to eliminate the rental department all together because it was a time and money sucker. So if we (TA and I) can just keep the bills paid, I plan on having a little bit of fun in the next month or two by doing extra work, see if I can get started again in acting and work part-time in real estate.
I think the moral of the story is to work smarter not harder. Get an accountant to do your accounting for you. Do waste your time and money on things that actively work toward your goals. And your sole goal should not be to have a good paycheck so you can pay the bills. It should be more than that. Maybe that is why I don't like real estate because it's all about making the deal and the money. I guess some realtors enjoy the art of the deal, but I don't . I know I'm doing it for the wrong reasons, but I'm going to give it another year.
