How I got all these rubber stamps I want to sell.

[GrannyLynn]

I had heard nightmare stories about how renters can trash a place but never dreamed somebody I knew, who I thought was our friend, would do it and have absolutely no guilt. Guess I've learned my lesson. If you are a tenant, I hope you're taking care of your home. It is a privilege to live where you have a safe & comfortable dwelling with clean water, utilities & a place to call home.

In 1999 when we moved out of town for my hubby's work, we rented our house to a friend of ours. She'd always said how she'd love to live in a house as big as ours. It is 3800 sq ft. & has five bedrooms. Four years later, she and her husband got a divorce and then her hours at work were reduced and she couldn't afford the rent any more. She suggested her granddaughter and spouse who had two little boys would be worthy of the same arrangement we'd made with Judy. In her post-divorce depression, Judy let the house cleaning go and also allowed her dog to pee on the new kitchen carpet as well as dig huge holes in the back yard. Her granddaughter said they'd clean up everything, paint and repair any damage and also replace the soiled carpet. We gave them a break on the rent with the agreement that the amount they should be paying would be used for things like paint, carpet, screens, etc.
   Well, five years later when we came to move back in, we found the place in worse condition by a LOT. They hadn't taken out that stained kitchen carpet. Every inch of carpet had to be ripped out because of food stains and cat urine. Every room had permanent marker scribbling on the walls and in the closets. Every interior door has a scrape or hole. Switch plates were missing. Moldings around doors and windows were missing. Nearly every window screen was broken, torn, or gone. Faucets were broken and sinks chipped. Children's clothes were stuffed into the furnace ducts. The kitchen stove was so dirty the repairman wouldn't touch it. There had been a fire in the oven that destroyed the seal around the door and the handle on it was broken. There are at least 20 big gouges in the kitchen linoleum. The wallpaper in the kitchen behind the sink is all ripped off & the bare wallboard is exposed. There was stagnant water in the dishwasher and the trash compactor's door was broken from being kicked. The miniblinds still hanging all had areas cut out so the cats could see out the windows.
   When I got here with the moving truck and saw the condition of our beautiful home, I just started to cry. The rose garden was overgrown with weeds eight feet tall! Not a single rose was blooming. Similar weeds were growing up in front of the living room window so high you couldn't see over them. I couldn't believe they had been so disrespectful. There was no lawn anymore; just weeds. Now that I think back on it, however, I believe she just didn't know how to keep house and her two boys were more than she could handle. She was not quite 17 when she became a mother and her husband does not help her. He thinks it is good for the boys to be rowdy inside the house. They even managed to break several bricks in the hearth!!
   Well in our efforts to see where we should begin, we discovered an area in the garage that was shielded by big panels of plywood. Behind them was a bunch of stuff Judy had left behind. The apartment she rented after leaving here was too small for most of her things. She's made no effort to return my calls or come get any of the stuff her granddaughter didn't take. By law, after 30 days have passed, anything here is our property. I would like to recover as much of the $14,000 we've had to spend so far but know these rubber stamps won't even make a dent. It will literally take us years to get it all done and paid for.
   So with that in mind, I'm hoping to sell the rubber crafting stamps. Many of them appear to be new. It has been four months since we came back to our house and I am looking forward to having our first company come on November 14th when we'll be celebrating a birthday here with friends. I'm glad we have a home equity line against which we could borrow for the carpet & paint & such or I'd still be living in a motel! =)  We've been told we should take them to small claims court & try to recover as much of the damages as possible. Guess we'll see.
   Thanks for reading this far. I know this was long. Hopefully you'll never have a test of your patience like this.
Here are the links to pictures of the stamps I've uploaded to PhotoBucket.com; the prices and sizes are included in the descriptions.

http://s491.photobucket.com/albums/rr271/GrannyLynn_stamps/Animals%20Borders%20Buildings%20Christmas/

 http://s491.photobucket.com/albums/rr271/GrannyLynn_stamps/Misc%20Ocean%20Sky%20People/

 http://s491.photobucket.com/albums/rr271/GrannyLynn_stamps/Nature%20Postmarks%20Words/

 

[diamond007]

Oct. 24, 2008 at 7:36 AM

I would like to say THANK YOU.  Thank you for being the way you are, although she nor granddaughter did not appreciate what you did for them, it made me realize there are still decent people in the world. Please do not be discouraged, your blessing is on the way.

[GrannyLynn]

May. 10, 2009 at 5:27 PM

May 2009 Update
The stamps are posted on my Etsy site now and can be viewed from there. I've grouped them into 'Lots' and reduced the prices. Just scroll to the top of my profile page and click on my Etsy shop widget. Thanks!
Lynn

(Original Poster)