I was a renter for over a decade and experienced many renter stories second-hand thanks to tales from friends. I mentally classified homeowners and apartment management companies in two categories – the short-cut takers and the long-term investors.
The difference between the two was simple. When faced with a choice, the former took a shortcut – typically the cheapest available quick fix. The latter, on the other hand, did their best to make the right long-term choice.
Both did so consistently. And it showed in the homes they rented out and in the renter experience. The former nickle-and-dimed renters and the latter were a pleasure to work with. They weren’t a pleasure to work with because they expected a yelp review. That’s just who they were.
This idea extends well outside the realm of renting homes. It applies to relationships, to building products, and to decisions we make in our lives.
Quick short-term fixes are a drug that are easy to get addicted to. They also work like drugs – ruining the long-term health of the people involved.
The best thing we can do for ourselves is to surround ourselves with people who unerringly make the right long-term call.
Then let osmosis do its thing.
