The eviction process was slow, difficult and stressful.
The first home I purchased in Jacksonville was a bit small with a slightly odd layout. However, the house had quite a bit of potential. I didn’t plan on making the property my family’s forever home, so I wasn’t willing to take on major upgrades. I improved the bathroom with a new vanity and mirror. I installed a new floor in the kitchen and painted every room. Investing into some shrubs and plants and spending a few weekends on landscaping improvements made a big difference to the curb appeal. When I received a promotion at work and started earning significantly more money, I decided it was time to elevate my family’s living situation. We toured quite a few properties before deciding on a home in the San Marcos area. Rather than sell the original house, I rented it out. Receiving that extra income every month helped to pay the mortgage on the new house. Unfortunately, the renters caused some major problems. They initially complained to me that there was an infestation of rats. While living there, I had never spotted a rat. I eventually learned that the renter owned a food truck. They were preparing large batches of food in the house and not effectively cleaning up. There were food scraps and garbage lying around and drawing in the rats. Although I paid for pest control, the situation simply drew in new rats within days. There were also issues with cockroaches. The neighbors began to complain because my renters weren’t mowing the lawn. The eviction process was slow, difficult and stressful. By the time I got the renters out, they’d left behind a great deal of damage. At that point, I simply wanted to sell the house. I didn’t have the energy to take on another round of remodeling.