I never have liked writing essays where I focus on the negatives first, I always prefer to focus on the positives and then move on to the negatives.
When it comes to COVID, there are not many positives to it. Growing up in New York, I remember watching the smoke come from the buildings during 9/11. I had two uncles in the World Trade Center that day (one a firefighter and one an investment banker, both survived), it was horrible but I distinctly remember possibly the only positive thing that came from 9/11: it unified the country. So far, it would seem that COVID is dividing the country because everyone is so cynical and distrusting. I am hoping that one positive thing to come from COVID is that it will unify the country and maybe the world in the rebuilding process. We are far from rebuilding since it is not nearly over, but when it does end the world will be stronger because of it.
Moving on to the negatives, it would be dishonest to say that I’ve been personally affected when I know that so many people have lost loved ones. While my hardships are nothing compared to those who are truly suffering, it still has been tough.
Losing your job seems to be the worst thing that can happen to you financially; but I think what is worse than losing your job, is keeping your job but not getting paid for it. As a property manager and landlord, I am technically an essential worker, so I have to work ten times harder but payment is no longer guaranteed. I know this will pass and eventually I’ll be compensated, but working for free is really hard. From 6AM to 6PM on top of my normal duties as property manager (chasing down rent money, fixing broken fixtures, pitching new properties, etc.) I’ve been slaving away making phone calls and writing letters to tenants, landlords, investors, account owners, venders, contractors etc. trying to figure out payment plans for the next few months, but it is very difficult because no one has money right now. There are so many sides to the same story, being the intermediary is not the position you want to be in. The landlords need their income because most of them are retired and in the “at risk” population, many of the tenants have lost their jobs and are struggling to pay rent, the contractors want more money because they are putting themselves at risk, the investors need their money because the rest of the market is crashing, etc… Everyone has their own story and no one wants to concede money right now.
There is too much misinformation going around about the government telling people to pay their rent late because we cannot evict. I am in a moral bind because on one hand I would like to help everyone out and accept that they cannot pay for now, but on the other hand it is my job to collect the money to pass on to the landlord. Neither myself, the landlords or the company I work for, can survive without this money, we have our own expenses to pay.
The worst part is that my situation is not unique, almost every sector is suffering. The only thing that is semi-unique about me is that I need to do schoolwork when I get home, which is sometimes very late. However it is almost a refreshing change of pace because it provides some sense of normalcy. Doing schoolwork when I am done with work is still awful and mentally straining though.
In summary, as a twenty-two year old with no elders living with me, I am considered low risk, so I feel it is my responsibility to continue working to help my tenants and clients. I am working harder right now so that people who are more vulnerable than I do not have to and so that I can find payment plans to help people who have lost their jobs. While I may be taking a loss right now, I believe everyone is taking a loss in some way and showing character is more important than making money during this.