I don't know about the birds, but I sure like it. This winter, after we get the landscaping finished and the weather is bad I hope my husband will spend some time in his shop to build us some birdhouses. Right now he's just too busy outside.

Well, consider a month-to-month agreement. While this may not fit well into your business plan, put yourself in their shoes. How would you like the situation to be handled if you had a small child and your wife was just diagnosed with a possibly fatal condition? I'm not saying that you should give them free rent, just come up with a solution that helps both sides. If all you are concerned about is making the almighty dollar and getting everyone to sign a fixed lease no matter what the situation, then you need to take a long look at yourself in the mirror.

Hi, I'm a Realtor, been going into other people's houses for a number of years, did a bit of property management, & here's what I've learned: Warm tones go with warm tones, & cool with cool. Bright white goes through periods when everybody wants it, & then after they've cleaned it for a year or so, nobody wants it! Plus, if a white is too "clean", it'll make furnishings look dingy. It's a cool-to-cold color, not inviting at all. (Think laboratories.) Warm colors are more inviting & they'll harmonize with the warm golden & brown wood floors. The medium-light warm neutrals will go with most people's stuff, & they'll go with the floors. The kitchen has the potential to be very charming. You might get some ideas by searching for images of kitchens in the 1900's or the 1940's... but there again, warm neutrals will probably be better for a rental. If the budget will stretch to new kitchen flooring, you might get rid of that cold-looking gray & replace it with a good grade of vinyl (Congoleum used to have a product that will outlast us all) in a warm color & a "vintage" pattern, or even install those linoleum squares like you see in school cafeterias. They would look appropriate for the age of the building, you can move the fridge without tearing the flooring, & that stuff lasts forever.

Another piece of advice to pass on to your daughter- At this stage in her life she really might be better off in an apartment building that either has a building manager to handle things. When one lives in an individual unit owned by a landlord the way your daughter did, it’s catch as catch can whether or not the landlord is responsive, and how is a prospective tenant to know? It’s not as if the landlord will give references. When it comes time for repairs, will the owner promise to be there with the workman every minute, or will your daughter have to take off work every time to protect her belongings? Or worse, in an effort to save money will the owner try to fix the problem himself and not be able to, and then have to bring in a workman anyway, so now your daughter will have taken off 2 days of work!! In an apartment building, the manager would be there to supervise workman. I have been through all this myself. A cute little house with a yard sounds nice, but the reality is far less bucolic. A small efficiency apartment in a well- maintained building with a live- in manager and a management company in addition so that the landlord doesn’t need to be contacted for every repair is the best option for a busy young professional at the beginning of her career. And she’ll meet some other young professionals in an apartment building and that is good for her, to have someone right there. Sure you can have friends at work, but nothing beats a neighbor! People nowadays want gorgeous furnishings right out of the gate, but it’s just fine to have bookshelves made out of wooden boards and cinder blocks and a desk made out of a door on saw horses. To live in a clean, functioning, efficient, safe, stress-free place is priceless!!