08/16/2026
CRAZY THINGS WE HAVE EXPERIENCED IN REAL ESTATE…
Episode: “You’re rich. You can clean it up.” 🤦♀️😂
One night when we were living at The Ten, Mike and I were headed out to dinner when I noticed the guests checking into one of our Airbnbs.
Last-minute reservation.
About six 20-ish-year-old guys.
Now, before anyone comes for me — plenty of groups like this are completely fine.
But after doing hundreds of short-term rentals, you start recognizing patterns. And let's just say this particular pattern made my spidey senses tingle.
I told Mike, “I'm checking on them when we get home.”
So we got home and I marched my crochety-old-lady butt down there and knocked on the door.
A kid approximately 14 feet tall answered.
I introduced myself, reminded him about quiet hours and told him I was keeping an eye on things. If more people showed up, the reservation was over.
And this sweet summer child ACTUALLY SAID:
“Yeah, sometimes we get kicked out because we have girls over and post it on social media and some people don't like that.”
😳
But he PROMISED they'd be done — maybe even gone — by 11.
This is where Experienced Real Estate Investor Jeri should have listened to her intuition.
Instead, People-Pleasing Give-Everyone-the-Benefit-of-the-Doubt Jeri took over.
And here's the part that makes all of this even better:
THEY KNEW WE LIVED TWO DOORS DOWN.
They knew.
I had personally walked down there, introduced myself, told them I was the owner, reminded them of the rules AND told them I was keeping an eye on things.
And it did not phase them AT ALL. 😂
More people arrived.
They got louder.
11:00 came.
I went back down.
Party's over. Everyone who isn't on the reservation needs to leave.
Some people left.
Victory!
Except...
THEY DROVE AROUND THE BLOCK AND CAME BACK.
Then two guys started fighting in the parking lot.
Cool cool cool. 🙄
I called the police.
Police came. Everyone scattered. The place smelled like w**d, but otherwise everything was okay.
Police left.
And then...
THE KIDS CAME BACK.
THEY HAD LITERALLY HID AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD UNTIL THE POLICE LEFT.
Remember:
WE. LIVED. TWO. DOORS. DOWN. 😂
And somehow they had another key.
Mike and I ran over while calling the police AGAIN.
Police came back. Kids scattered again. This time the officers stayed in our driveway for quite a while to make sure everyone was actually gone.
Surely this story is over now.
Oh no.
THEY STARTED COMING BACK AGAIN.
And this is where Reasonable Airbnb Host Jeri officially left the building.
It was after midnight. I was exhausted. I had already called the police twice.
Enter: Crazy Old White Lady Jeri.
I marched my ass back down there.
Two of the guys were standing on our property AGAIN.
I told them:
“Get off my property or I'm calling the cops again.”
One snapped:
“We know what personal property is.”
Me:
“GREAT! THEN GET OFF OF MINE.”
And then came the sentence I will remember until the day I die:
“My aunt paid you GOOD MONEY for us to be here!”
Sir.
Your aunt paid approximately $200. 😂
I explained that $200 did not purchase the right to break every rule we had.
And then this little fu**er looked at me and said:
“You're rich. You can clean it up.”
😳
Friends.
Crazy Old White Lady Jeri nearly leveled up to Felony Jeri.
I have never wanted to punch someone in the throat more.
And the irony was that at that particular point in our lives, we were absolutely NOT rich. We were living in one of those townhomes because life and real estate had thrown us some serious curveballs of our own.
Thankfully, I refrained from committing a felony. 😂
The police drove by again, talked with them, and FINALLY...
It was over.
I went home around 2 AM and had to meditate because apparently Airbnb hosting is also a spiritual practice. 🧘♀️😂
And here's what I actually learned:
My intuition knew within about 30 seconds that something wasn't right.
But I kept overriding it because I wanted to be nice.
I wanted to give them another chance.
And another.
And another.
Experience has taught me something since:
Being kind doesn't require abandoning your boundaries.
Sometimes being a good host means accommodating someone's needs.
And sometimes being a good host means saying:
Nope. We're done here. Get off my property.
Real estate will teach you about investing.
It will teach you about money.
It will teach you about people.
But if you do it long enough...
it will REALLY teach you about yourself. 😂
And that is another episode of...
Crazy S #!* We Have Experienced in Real Estate.
You truly cannot make this s**t up.
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