Max Bumgardner

Losers, Liars & Leeches: True Stories of a Slumlord Max Bumgardner

There are some lessons in life we will learn only by entering into the darkened forest, some dreams each of us carry that can be quashed only by repeated hammering. Sometimes it is the noblest of our efforts that push us to edge of utter destruction-what we construct as acts of kindness return to us as bitter blows. Sometimes the solution is to battle our way through; other times it is to wash our hands clean and walk away. At the age of forty, Max Bumgardner, a former "housing kid" and successful radio host, decided he would help "his people" by purchasing rental property for low-income tenants. Little did he know that in ten years' time his investment would not only take an enormous toll on his financial and family life but also change the inner depths of his soul and his view of mankind. Losers, Liars & Leeches: True Stories of a Slumlord reveals a behind-the-curtain look into Max's dealings with ten of his tenants-tenants who turn out to be the opposite of his hardworking mother, who lived in government housing with Max as child, tenants who represented roughly 90% of all those he entered into contract with. Some of his stories will make you cringe in disgust, others will shock you, others nearly bring you to tears, and all will make you laugh with Max's affable ability to sift out the humor from the woe. His memoir-styled book examines the role that government-assisted housing has had on our society and how it affects the small-portfolio landlord who desires to help low-income tenants, while still earning a profit. It also examines the characteristics that comprise these "bad tenants" and how their decisions have a way of pulling them further into their pit of suffering and dire straits. If you are thinking about becoming a landlord, or if you want to know what makes a good tenant, or even if you are struggling through a big mess you've gotten yourself into, Bumgardner's harrowing and inspirational story can do wonders to help steer you away from making bad decisions-or encourage you to persevere through the mire if you already have. Raw, honest, and sometimes self-effacing, Losers, Liars & Leeches: True Stories of a Slumlord will open your eyes to how the world really works and how each of us is a product of our decisions. Bumgardner is a man who has earned his stripes. Exceptionally hardworking, indomitable in spirit, faithful to his word. Learn from his experiences, drink in his wisdom, and be a better person for it.