This week on The Rent-ish Pod, Zach and Patrick dive into the transformation of Chicago’s iconic Tribune Tower from historic newsroom to luxury condos with castle-like charm. 🏙️🎧 Discover how this legendary building sets the stage for historic conversions everywhere. Then, get the inside scoop on the hottest 2025 design trends for rental spaces—think rich earthy tones, clever space-maximizing hacks, and the style upgrades renters are obsessed with. Tune in for real estate highs, lows, and all the inspiration you need to elevate your own space!
Article mentioned: https://www.forbes.com/sites/terriwilliams/2025/02/28/the-best-of-houzz-2025-awards-reveal-the-hottest-interior-design-trends/
Finally, a real estate horror story you won’t believe: one tenant’s experience with trading work for rent — and how quickly that dream deal turned into a nightmare. Let’s say... free rent isn’t always free.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
What's going on everybody?
My name is Zach and I'm herewith Patrick.
What up?
We are just getting closer andcloser to us being like early
morning radio DJs.
We're your hosts for the Rentishpodcast, a podcast that's kind
(00:22):
of about rental properties andhosted by two guys that work in
the real estate industry andsort of know what they're
talking about.
But mostly don't.
Yes, Patrick, mostly we don't,which is why you'll have fun
hearing us talk to experts andlearning with us or laughing
along at how little we know.
Today's episode's gonna be agood one, Pat.
I'm so excited.
We've been prepping, prepping,prepping, prepping, working so
(00:42):
hard on it.
Have we?
Oh, yeah, we've been workingreal hard.
Oh, yeah, both of us have, yeah.
We've been working real harddoing the writing and the
editing and the research.
We do it all around here, youknow?
This week, we're gonna cover acouple different big topics.
We got the Tribune Tower.
We're gonna go back toPropetology and talk about the
Tribune Tower.
We're gonna talk about tradingwork for rent, which is a real
(01:04):
estate story that we've got.
And we're gonna talk about We'regoing to go through some news,
the real news that you need toknow about the hottest interior
design trends of 2025.
So it's going to be a goodepisode, Pat.
How you doing?
I'm pumped.
I'm excited to talk about realestate.
Pumped, pumped.
Pumped.
Pumped.
P-U-M-P-T.
P-U-M-P-T.
P-U-M-P-T.
(01:25):
Would you go on a spelling bee?
How well do you think you'd doon a spelling bee?
I did a spelling bee when I wasin eighth grade.
Get out of here.
And like, yeah, I think I likespelled like muffin, like
M-U-F-F-E-N or something.
It may not have been that bad,but like, yeah, I didn't do too
hot.
Spelling was never my strongsuit when I was a kid.
So when I would watch thespelling bee on TV, I'd always
(01:46):
be like, those kids are so muchbetter than me.
I'm a visual learner.
Having to spell by seeing it inmy head, I guess, or trying to
imagine it and say it, I'm goingto mess up.
I totally agree.
It's always baffled me.
Every year I watch that stupidspelling bee and every year it
baffles me.
(02:06):
How do they get the spellingmore accurate?
By getting the country of originor asking to use it in a
sentence?
What is that doing to help you?
I don't get, it's like, it'sstill the word.
You still have to spell theword.
How is using it in a sentencegonna give you a better, maybe
because you can picture thesentence in context?
There might be like Latin rootsand stuff.
(02:26):
Maybe.
Like root words, like, oh.
Or it's like if you're using itin a sentence where you're
specifically talking aboutsomeone, it's gonna reflect a
bit differently because of theway that that sentence is said.
I don't know.
We're not spellers around here.
Good thing, we just have totalk.
I'm really good at spelling onMicrosoft Word where it's got
the red squiggly linesunderneath it and I right click
it.
Yes, the squiggly lines.
Yeah.
You can spell it.
I agree.
You can have the computercorrect me.
(02:49):
Autospel.
One of the best humaninventions.
Yes.
Can we agree on that?
I mean, actually, no.
One of the best humaninventions?
It's convenient in a specificsituation.
One of the best tech inventionsof all time.
Okay.
Yeah, sure.
Well, come back to me in afuture episode with a list of
(03:09):
best tech inventions of alltime.
We'll discuss it.
Patrick?
Let's get into Propetology.
Yeah.
Today we're talking about theTribune Tower.
That's a Neo-Gothic.
Oh, it's a cool word.
Neo-Gothic.
N-E-O.
G-O-T-H-I-C.
Use it in a sentence.
The Tribune Tower is a neogothicskyscraper.
That was good.
That was fun.
(03:30):
That was a good wit on that one.
Yeah, it's located in Chicago,Illinois, stands as one of the
city's most iconic landmarks.
Completed in 1925, the towerserved as the headquarters for
the Chicago Tribune for nearly acentury, reflecting Chicago's
resilience and richarchitectural heritage.
Patrick, you're our residentdescriber, and you said you're a
visual learner, so describe thisbuilding.
(03:50):
It's tall.
It's kind of light gray And Ithink Gothic is a really good
way to describe it.
I don't want to describe thedefinition with the definition,
but it's kind of got the...
I don't know where Gothic evencomes from, like Germany or
something.
But like...
Country of origin.
That's their other spelling beejoke.
(04:12):
How about that?
Oh, boom.
Country of origin.
I'm going to look up Gothicetymology.
It's kind of like the...
I mean, I think everyone prettyknows...
Oh! What?
Patrick.
Is it German?
From French.
Oh.
Gothic.
You want to give me a French onthat one?
Well, TH isn't even like aFrench sound.
That sound doesn't even exist inFrench.
(04:35):
It was used in the 17th and 18thcenturies to mean not classical,
i.e.
not Greek or Roman, hence torefer to medieval architecture.
It did not follow classicalmodels.
Got it.
Late Latin of origin, but Frenchis the...
primarily the way it starteddeviated gothic gothic I kind of
think like Dracula a little bitwith gothic oh totally yeah yeah
(04:59):
yeah I think of gothicarchitecture I think of I think
of gargoyles gargoyles that's agood one yeah like the Disney
animated show gargoyles is thefirst thing that comes to my
mind yeah this is basically thatin like that kind of
architecture in skyscraper formyeah it's kind of got like at
the tip of each one of like thespires at the top it's kind of
(05:19):
got that like really ornate sortof like pokey architecture.
Right, pokey.
I don't know if there's like abetter, there's certainly a
better more, a crown.
Kind of like a crown.
Producer Moussey says a crown.
I think that's very apt.
Very detailed and elaborate, youknow, especially in the tops of
the buildings.
For sure.
Very pretty.
I like, so we've talked aboutall sorts of buildings and we're
going to keep talking about allsorts of buildings as we do the
(05:41):
show because that's what theshow is.
Art Deco is probably one of myfavorite styles of buildings.
That style is so cool to me.
Gothic architecture I think isawesome.
So cool.
Such a cool design.
I personally love this.
I mean, where are you at withthe design?
Oh, I'm a big fan.
I like Chicago.
I mean, so I went to Chicago afew times, but I went recently,
actually, like two, three monthsago.
Saw this building, obviously.
(06:02):
Yeah, yeah.
I just think Chicago's vibe andarchitecture is really cool.
It is very cool.
Yep.
No wonder they used it forBatman.
Yeah, it really does give offBatman vibes.
That's my favorite.
So I love Chicago, too.
It's probably one of my favoritecities in the United States.
Every time I'm there...
One of the pieces of music I'lllisten to is just the Hans
(06:24):
Zimmer soundtrack from the Nolanmovies.
Oh, okay.
Because they literally shotthose movies in Chicago.
And so when you're at the trainsand everything, and it's just
like, oh, it feels so right.
And so I look at this building,and I hear the Dark Knight
themes.
I like the animated shows theme.
(06:49):
Yeah.
Yeah.
The original Tribune Tower, alittle bit of history for you,
was built in 1868 but wasdestroyed in the Great Chicago
Fire of 1871.
Rising from the ashes of thistragedy, the Chicago Tribune
sought to rebuild a headquartersthat would be both grand and
enduring.
In 1922, to commemorate thepaper's 75th anniversary, the
Tribune launched aninternational design
(07:10):
competition, inviting architectsfrom around the world to propose
designs for, quote, the mostbeautiful and distinctive office
building in the world, endquote, which is quite praise
there, quite high praise.
The competition offered a totalof$100,000 in prize money.
That's probably, that's a lotfor 1922, by the way.
With$50,000 awarded to thewinning design.
The competition drew over 260entries.
(07:32):
Some of the more unconventionaldesigns, including a Oh, that
would have been sweet.
Okay.
I like this building, but Iwould also like to see a cash
register building.
I would also like to see thattoo.
Sounds a bit gaudy, but I'm surethey would have done a decent
job.
I'm sure it would have been justlike, aesthetically similar but
(07:55):
not like literally I'm picturinglike a giant cash register just
plopped in the center of the bigcity but yeah the honor
ultimately went to New Yorkarchitects John Meade Howells
and Raymond Hood whoseneo-gothic design was inspired
by The Rhone Cathedral inFrance?
You want to give me a Francecheck on that one, buddy?
I've never seen it.
Rhone?
(08:15):
Rhone?
Really?
Of all the ways that I wouldhave predicted how to say that
word, that is not the way that Ipredicted.
Rhone, maybe?
I don't know.
I've never seen the word.
Rhone?
I'm trying to think what theO-U-E sound would make in
French.
I have no idea.
We'll get a French expert onhere.
You're a French expert.
Yeah, but I've never seen thatword.
It's like if you give me a word,I've never seen the English.
(08:37):
I don't know how to pronounce.
I'm not going to like.
Sure.
That's fair.
That's fair.
I'm sorry to heat check you onthat, buddy.
I didn't mean to get you soriled up there.
We'll do some more research onthat one.
Hood would later go on to designthe famous Rockefeller Center in
New York City.
So there you go.
Oh.
So probably that's a tough one.
Tribune Tower is a very iconicbuilding.
(08:58):
What do you think, that versusRockefeller Center?
I'm looking up the RockefellerCenter right now.
Maybe design-wise, I think theTribune Tower probably has a
more iconic design, but theRockefeller Center is like,
that's a place a lot of peopleknow about.
Bless you.
Really?
Yeah, that's right.
(09:32):
So it's houses now.
I dislike that.
I like it better as theheadquarters for a newspaper.
Yeah, you show me the outside ofthat building, I think that's
either a headquarters for anewspaper or Bruce Wayne's
residency.
If it was Bruce Wayne'sresidency, if Bruce Wayne is one
of the residents, I'm okay withit.
Sure, that makes sense.
(09:52):
I'm not sure if you're lookingat the news doc, but do you have
a guess for me?
162 luxury residences.
The renovated tower has high-endamenities, including a rooftop
terrace, a private fitnesscenter, a spa, an indoor golf
simulator, and three-bedroom,four-bathroom condos.
3,200 square foot rents for howmuch per month?
(10:14):
Are you looking at the doc, ordid you spoil it for yourself,
or do you want to guess for me?
I have no idea.
Take a shot.
Three-bedroom, four-bathroomcondo in Chicago.
3,200 square foot rents.
That's so much.
That's a lot of space.
In Chicago, which is cheaperthan New York, but that's still
a lot of space per month.
15,000.
You are so close.
Higher.
(10:35):
20,000.
A little lower.
$18,500 per month.
$18,500 to be able to rent permonth one of these condos.
No thank you, everybody.
I'm going to go ahead and saythat's not in my budget.
(10:55):
How many people are rentingthose versus owning them
outright?
That's a good question.
I actually don't know.
We don't have that informationhere for you.
That's still crazy.
Maybe they have them leased on ayearly basis and this is just
like the monthly breakdown orsomething like that.
Wow.
That's crazy.
Still pretty crazy.
A couple of fun facts for youabout the Tribune Tower.
Embedded in the lower levels areabout 150 stones and fragments
(11:19):
from historical landmarks aroundthe world, including pieces from
the Great Wall of China, theParthenon, the Berlin Wall, and
the Taj Mahal.
Wow.
Which is...
Oh, wait.
I feel like I remember that.
Remember that from what?
When I went to Chicago, there'sjust a bunch of stones on the...
Oh, yeah?
Yeah.
So you were that close.
You were so close that you couldtouch it because I've only ever
seen the building.
(11:39):
I kind of forgot that it wasthat building.
But, yeah, there was– I wentwith my friends and there was
like a rock from Put-In-Bay fromOhio.
Really?
My buddies and I, we had goneto, and we were there in Chicago
together.
Like, oh, Pun Bay.
Love Pun Bay.
Yeah, of all the rocks to have.
Yeah.
Also, Great Pyramid, AbrahamLincoln's tomb, which is a wild
(12:00):
one.
Not sure how you acquire a pieceof Abe Lincoln's tomb, but they
got it.
Notre Dame de Paris.
Did I get that?
Yeah, that was pretty good.
Notre Dame de Paris.
I can't with the phlegm.
I'm not very good at that part.
And petrified wood from theredwood forest.
That's pretty sweet.
So all sorts of stuff there.
(12:21):
I would love to...
That alone...
the cost of acquiring all thosematerials, it's gonna factor
into this building.
Yeah, it's like$1,000 worth ofrent.
Exactly, yeah.
From 1999 to 2011, the towereven housed a moon rock brought
back by Buzz Aldrin on loan fromNASA.
The tower's crown is illuminatedat night, showing its
(12:42):
gothic-inspired buttresses andadding a striking element to the
Chicago skyline.
Above the entrance, there's anengraved quote that reads, give
the world the best you have andthe best will come back with
you.
Reflecting the Tribune'sphilosophy of the time that's a
sweet quote is it should that bethis should that be the slogan
for our podcast no give theworld the best you have and the
(13:02):
best will come back to you youdon't think that's a good quote
no i don't put out positivityget positivity back He's looking
for an argument.
He's trying to ruminate on anargument there.
A couple more fun facts and thenwe'll wrap up.
The Tribune Tower once had asecret bar called the Crown
Room, which is so cool, hiddenbehind a nondescript door on the
24th floor.
It was a favorite spot forTribune employees and Chicago
(13:25):
elites.
So imagine going to a secret baronly for Chicago Tribune
employees.
At that time.
That's cool.
We need one of those for therent-ish pod.
Yeah.
Just our office here, like alittle rent-ish pod office.
We have a secret bar.
I want to like touch this lampor like lift that up and it
opens up a secret compartmentwhere we have– free alcohol
(13:46):
afterwards.
I would also like free alcoholafterwards.
That sounds great.
And the building's lobbies adornwith carved depictions of great
writers and thinkers, includingShakespeare, Benjamin Franklin,
and Dante.
You know, lots of legacy at thebuilding.
I think it's cool that there areso many aspects of it that just
takes on the spirit of somethinglike a newspaper, like the
Chicago Tribune, like being ableto not necessarily, you know,
(14:07):
it's condos now, it's a placefor residential.
They're able to also take a lotof inspiration from what the
building originally was, andcarry on that heart, and And I
think that that's really, reallycool.
That's it for Propetology.
And yeah, we're gonna talk aboutsome other stuff now.
(14:30):
Well, let's shift gears.
So in terms of inviting homeoffices, our producers have
placed a very I thinkappropriate image here of
another modern home office, 2025kind of like style and layout.
You want to give the audiencelike a little visual descriptor?
Yeah, it's like pretty lightcolored as well, a little more
(14:53):
blue.
I had time to prepare on thisone too, and I can't.
Yeah, you're just.
I'm really bad at this.
It's got pillows on theright-hand side on kind of like
a nook or a reading bench orsomething.
Sure, that's good.
I like this.
Keep going.
It's got a desk.
It's got a grayish.
What kind of desk?
What's a desk?
Big desk?
It looks impractical.
(15:17):
I don't know.
It looks real nice.
I don't know.
That is a professional-looking,thick, heavy desk.
You could do some work on that.
You could set a pen down and itwouldn't roll.
That's the kind of desk that I'mimagining is just firm, solid.
Yeah.
It doesn't look like it has anyshelving for you to put your
(15:37):
junk, though.
But that's what's behind it.
Again, I was going to call outthe built-ins.
Oh, it's got shelves.
Good, good.
Like you can display all thoselike cool little things.
Like I would have so many Batmancomics.
Toys.
Yeah.
Well, these decorations are justkind of like, like, what are
these?
It looks like stuff that youwould buy at like in the
clearance aisle of Hobby Lobby.
Yes.
Because it, All of the setdecoration here that we got for
(16:00):
this photo, it's like emptyvase.
The wicker ball there on the topright is cracking me up where
it's like that is such a thingthat you would see in Hobby
Lobby.
Where it's like twine roped ballthat's just like there for
decoration.
Or my favorite.
Did you ever see these growingup?
I would go over to friends'houses and some of them would
(16:20):
have the clear bowl with thefake grapes in it.
Oh my god, that's my mom.
What is that?
What?
My mom had lemons, oranges.
She would change– she would keepthings fresh.
Just like decorative glassfruit.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
What are we doing here?
I don't know.
I agree.
I think that trend has largelygone by the wayside.
(16:40):
Not in my mom's house.
Yeah, I don't know.
I don't know.
Would you work out of thisoffice, Pat?
Out of this office?
Yeah, the modern office, the onewe were just looking at.
Yeah.
I mean I wouldn't feel– Iwouldn't feel like at home in
any way.
Just not your general style.
No, but I feel like I could beproductive on that desk, I
think.
I could definitely work at it.
(17:02):
I would change some thingsaround and personalize it to be
more like me.
It would be definitely a lotmore like geeky and kind of just
like a little bit more poppy andcolorful.
But I think that this greatroom, lots of natural light, I
think that that seems to be whata lot of people are looking for.
This one looks a little lessmodern than the last.
Yeah.
(17:23):
Maybe it's just like the type offurniture.
Maybe.
I don't know.
All right, we got a couple moreto get through.
Powder rooms, your favoritething.
I know what these are.
All right, we're going to ripthrough this one a little bit
quicker because we need to tryand get through a couple extra
things here.
Bold colors, unique wallpapersthat make a statement, artistic
fixtures and creative tiling foradded personality, and compact
yet luxurious designs thatmaximize style in small spaces.
(17:47):
Patrick, powder roomdescription, go.
Oh man, there's some crazyoptical illusion wallpaper.
That's a good way to put it,okay.
Like I feel like I'm beinghypnotized.
Like granite countertop.
Yeah, thick granite too.
That's like a slab of marbleright there.
Yeah, gold plated mirror.
(18:07):
Yeah, lots of gold accents.
That's a good call out.
Fake flowers.
How do you know those are fake?
I think they could be real.
They definitely seem fake.
They look fake.
Yeah, I mean, I could brush myteeth here, I think.
Yeah, it's nice.
The wallpaper is not myfavorite.
It's a little disorienting.
I think that a more simplisticwallpaper is probably where I
(18:29):
would go.
But yeah, I like the goldaccents.
I actually think it makes itlook very classy.
And that mirror, I actuallythink that mirror is legit.
It's kind of got like a floatingdesign.
Like it almost kind of feelslike it's like, because they've
got these exterior kind ofborders that's just kind of
hanging there.
But all in all, very modernbathroom.
I don't know, your ideal powderroom.
(18:51):
What's the 2025 interior designpowder room for Patrick?
A bidet is a must.
Bidet is a must.
It's a must.
Okay.
Yes.
Do you have a bidet?
Oh, my goodness, yes, I have abidet.
I've installed a bidet at mymom's place, at several friends'
places.
Okay.
It has been life-changing eversince I got a bidet in 2019.
(19:11):
Before, it was, like, cool inAmerica to have bidets.
I've been on the bidet train.
Okay.
Do you have a bidet?
I don't.
Oh.
I guess I'm living in the past.
You are, yeah.
Okay.
Well, bidets, certainly modern.
I still feel like they're notcommon in a lot of American
households.
They've gotten more so, butyeah, I agree.
I feel like they've gotten moreso popular because they're
(19:32):
easier to install and easier tobuy.
There's companies on Amazon.
You could just buy a bidet andinstall it yourself, right?
Self-install?
Yeah, that's what I've done.
That's what you did?
Yeah.
Okay.
All right.
Well, that's the powder room.
I know that you'll probablynever, ever call it a powder
room, but again, I want you totell.
The next time you're havingfamily dinner, just stand up and
say, I'm going to go to thepowder room I'm going to try to
(19:52):
make that a regular part of myvernacular because I think it's
I've not heard anyone say thatlike ever excuse me mother I
need to go to the powder room torelieve myself alright
sustainable and eco-friendlychoices hey the environment we
like the environment here use ofrecycled and upcycled materials
energy efficient appliances andlighting solutions and the
(20:14):
incorporation of biophilicdesign elements such as indoor
plants and natural textures yeahTalk about a word of the day
calendar.
I've never heard of biophilic.
Yeah.
You heard that one before?
No.
What does that even mean?
I'm assuming it's related tobiology, like bio.
Bio.
Phil.
What does philic mean?
(20:34):
Philic.
Biophilic refers to the inherenthuman tendency to affiliate with
nature and other forms of life.
Biophilic design is an approachto architecture and design that
seeks to connect buildingoccupants more closely to
nature.
So it's incorporating morenatural elements.
into your personal space is whatthat kind of sounds like.
(20:54):
Yeah, I was about to say, thisphoto of this living room, it's
like, I feel like I'm in thejungle right now.
You know what I mean?
Yeah, no, I feel you.
Like there's plants.
Lots of plants.
They even made the couch andchair green.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's a lot of green.
I mean, the strong green colordoes contrast, though, I think
(21:15):
nicely with the cream-coloredwall.
I agree.
I think it's like a nice little,it's a cozy space.
I can imagine and having a lattehere and enjoying myself.
This is definitely my favoriteof the pictures that we've
discussed.
I would agree.
What's the plant life situationin your apartment?
I have a snake plant.
A snake plant?
Like one?
Yeah, they're so easy.
I got one.
Those things are, it's like atank.
(21:36):
I don't water it.
It's still alive.
Water me, Patrick, please.
It's like screaming at you everytime he leaves the house.
So it's just one plant.
I just got one, yeah.
Just one?
What about you?
Oh, hella plants, baby.
Like at least three per room.
Oh, wow.
At least three per month.
You're not messing around.
Got to have green.
Love that jungle vibe.
(21:57):
I have a painting of a moose,though.
What?
That's not really relevant.
I love the moose aesthetic.
You know what I mean?
I just have a painting of amoose above my Blu-rays.
Whoa.
Is it a real painting or a printthat you got?
I got it at a thrift store forlike$15.
(22:20):
I have no idea.
It seems pretty legit.
Like it seems like an actualpainting that someone put on the
canvas or is it a print thatsomeone framed?
I think it might be more of aprint.
I have no idea.
Go look at it.
Go look at it a little bitcloser.
How would I know?
Well, you can get up close to apainting and you could pretty
much...
Yeah, you'd be able to tell ifit was actually hand-painted or
(22:41):
if it was a print.
Yeah, I'll let you know in thenext episode.
Let us know in the next episode.
Keep us posted on MooseGate.
Next up, we got vintage andartisan accents, the revival of
antique and handcrafted pieces,local craftsmanship and cultural
influences, and uniqueone-of-a-kind decor items that
tell a story.
We don't have an image for thisone, but I can kind of get the
sense of what they're talkingabout here.
(23:02):
Just kind of like...
adding more classical pieces toyour place.
Not necessarily classical, likeBaroque.
Rustic is what I'm kind ofgetting.
I'm a big fan of this vibe.
Sure, me too.
I'm a big fan of this.
I got a rotary phone on myshelf.
That is a great example.
I've got a typewriter.
Do you use the typewriter?
(23:23):
I was a pen pal with my cousinwho's 12.
She had gotten a typewriter forher birthday and so we started
doing typewriter and I gave herthe wrong address so I never got
her letter and then That kind ofjust ended after.
Wow, you're a crappy pen pal.
Pen enemy is more like it.
Penemy.
And then last up here, we gothome bars or beverage stations.
(23:45):
We already kind of talked aboutthis with the bar cart, so we
kind of predicted the futurehere.
But yeah, another just exampleof so many, you know, modern
houses having these kind ofstyles, like a collective space
for gathering, like that's not adining room or a living room.
It's more like a space where youcan come in and have glasses and
bar stuff, make a drink, standaround and talk with your
friends.
Catch up.
Have a good time.
(24:06):
Come over to my home bar.
Have a few laughs.
Name that movie.
Have a few laughs.
What movie is it?
Come on.
You got it.
Hold on.
Have a few laughs.
Yeah, you can hear it, can'tyou?
Oh, man.
Oh, man.
Oh, man.
Hold on.
Stop.
What's the actor?
Bruce Willis.
Bruce Willis.
I knew it was Bruce Willis.
What movie?
Die Hard.
Yeah.
Film card revoked, everybody.
(24:27):
I love Die Hard, too.
Yeah.
Oh, that killed me.
Yeah, so kind of just likewrapping up here.
I mean...
How do these trends reflectcurrent lifestyle shifts?
I mean I think that from whatwe've talked about, a lot of
these places are becoming morelike communal and homey and less
like– I think that for a whilethere, there was an emphasis on
like minimal design.
But I feel like a lot of thestuff that we've covered,
(24:49):
there's a lot of stuff going on.
There's much more– like there'splants and there's things here
and there's big– like lots ofbold character I think is what I
would say.
I agree.
I think each of those photos hadcharacter whether it was– it
wasn't always the same.
kind of character.
They all had character.
How can renters incorporatethese trends without making
permanent changes?
(25:10):
This is a good one for both ofus.
We're both renters.
How do you get this kind ofmodern 2025 aesthetic without
actually having to take a hammerto a wall and make some
built-ins?
I've always been of the opinionthat sure, you can't control the
floor plan, but besides thekitchen and powder room, most of
the rooms are empty anyways.
(25:31):
I'm a big fan of Yeah.
Of personalization with yourfurniture and your and your
decorations.
I'm a big decoration guy.
Yeah.
I don't know.
Yeah.
Furniture, lamps, artwork.
Lamps is huge.
Lamps are big.
I do think that like if you useoverhead lighting by default,
you're a clown.
Yeah, I completely agree.
(25:52):
And that got me.
It's like it's always too brightand it's ugly.
It's like just, you know.
Yeah.
No, you got to get warmlighting.
I got some like some of thoselike I don't know if they're
Christmas lights or what do youcall it?
Fair.
String lights.
String lights.
And I've got like, it's an oldbuilding, so there's like a
sprinkler system, and I'vewrapped it around the sprinkler
(26:12):
system.
That sounds safe.
In my living room.
It looks sweet.
Remember, Patrick and I are notreal estate professionals.
We don't kid, so I don't adviseyou to use sprinkler lights to
wrap your string lights.
Okay, and then, yeah, so theBest of House Awards 2025 trend
highlights a diverse andinnovative approach to interior
(26:33):
Correct.
Correct.
Correct.
Okay, Patrick, we're going toshift gears over to the Tenet
(26:55):
Horror Story of the Week.
This is one of my favoritesegments because you get to
really show off your actingchops.
It's one of your favoritesegments?
It is one of my favoritesegments.
Okay.
And for no other reason thanjust me.
Then I just, you know, somemight say, you know, have an
undiscovered talent.
You walk into a studio one dayand you audition and then you
just, you could be the next LeoDiCaprio.
(27:16):
We just don't know.
I mean, it's pretty discoveredat this point since you guys
make me do the voices.
Well, If you're listening tothis out there, feel free to
share on social media platformsof your choice.
And yeah, if you know anybody inHollywood, please send this as a
resume for Patrick.
He'd be happy to audition forwhatever role that you have
(27:37):
there.
But today's story, trading workfor rent.
Yeah, let's get right into it.
Steve bought another property inModesto, California.
This property needed quite a bitof work, and he was referred to
a handyman who was willing totrade work for rent.
Steve is one who likes a gooddeal and barters quite a bit.
He agreed to let the handymanmove in and to trade a portion
(27:58):
of the rent for the tenants'labor.
Anytime the tenant needed topurchase materials for the
project, the local big boxhardware store would call Steve
up for his credit card numberand approval.
However, not long after the workstarted, Steve got a call from
the local big box hardwarestore.
What is this big box hardwarestore?
It just means like a big...
(28:20):
It just means like one of thebig ones, like not like a
local...
Like Big Box would be like a BigBox...
Exactly.
Got it.
Big Box retailer would be likeHome Depot, Lowe's, instead of
like...
Or Ace Hardware or somethinglike that.
Got it.
If you're like John Smith'shardware on Elm Street, that's
not a big box.
Got it.
Okay.
(28:40):
Learn something new every day.
They told him that the handymanseemed to be buying an excessive
amount of material.
To make things worse, thetenant's kids would come over
into the store and some of thematerials asking for a cash
reward.
I botched that.
You were close, though.
You just missed the word refund.
(29:00):
To make things worse, thetenant's kids would come back
into the store.
Come back into the store withsome of the materials asking for
a cash refund.
We got through that.
Soon, the tenant's workprogressed slow to a complete
stop, and the tenant had to beasked to leave.
Of course, the tenant refused,so it went to eviction court.
There, the tenant claimed Stevewas the absolute scumlord.
SPEAKER_01 (29:24):
Okay,
SPEAKER_00 (29:27):
renting out a home without a kitchen.
The conversation in court goeskind of like this.
Okay, so remind me who I'mplaying.
So you're the judge.
I'm the judge.
And I'm the tenant.
So I got to get a judge voiceout.
Yeah, and I'm the evictionattorney at one point.
Just heads up.
Did you have a lease?
That was actually so good.
(29:48):
I don't know why I went a littleMatt Berry on that one.
No, I love that.
Did you have a lease?
No.
Did you ever sign anything?
No.
At this point, the evictionattorney hands a copy of the
lease to the bailiff, who handsit to the judge.
Is this your signature?
Yes, but the house doesn't havea kitchen.
(30:08):
Your Honor, it's our belief thatthe property had a kitchen when
the tenant moved in.
Was there a kitchen in the housewhen you moved it?
Yes, but I tore it out on thethird or fourth day of living
there.
At this point, Steve's attorneyturns to Steve and says, all
this life as an attorney.
(30:30):
Do it again.
You got it.
I'm
SPEAKER_01 (30:32):
Batman.
I'm Batman.
SPEAKER_00 (30:34):
All your life as an attorney, you wait for a Perry
Mason moment.
This is it.
Oh, yeah.
The last line of the story isthe judge affected the time.
UNKNOWN (30:46):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (30:46):
Great story.
Great narration.
Great job.
Oh, man.
UNKNOWN (30:50):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (30:50):
So I guess the moral of the story here, would you
ever trade work for rent?
SPEAKER_01 (30:55):
Is that the moral of the story?
SPEAKER_00 (30:57):
Well, not the moral, but I guess the main question, I
guess, here.
I mean, I don't know.
What about you?
Would you ever trade work forrent, or is it too risky?
I think it could be worth it,you know?
I don't know how you feel, butif you're going to be paying a
handyman...
like a bunch of money.
And it might just be moreconvenient to then rent them out
(31:17):
of space if you have the space.
I don't know, though.
I'm not in a position where I'vehad to do that.
What do you think?
So I actually have a coupleinteresting ways to kind of spin
this for me personally.
As a renter, I'm qualified totell these stories.
One apartment that I lived in inCincinnati, it was like a single
house building, but it wasdivided into three units.
(31:40):
And I lived on the second floorof the building.
The third floor is was the atticthat was renovated into a single
bedroom apartment.
The landlord rented that out tohis maintenance guy.
And his maintenance guy, I'mguessing the trade-off there, I
never learned specifics of thecontract, but he would do any of
the utility for the apartmentbuilding.
So anytime I called themaintenance guy, it was the guy
(32:02):
that lived upstairs that wouldthen fix whatever the problem
was or whatever was broken.
So clearly the relationshipseemed to work out for the two
of them.
I don't know whether he chargedhim any rent or if it was just
live in this place and fix theplace up as see fit.
The interesting thing now isthat the house that I live in
currently currently part of thelease is that I'm actually
(32:24):
responsible for like lawn careand stuff like that.
So like mowing the grass andeverything like that.
But then there's been likelittle things around the house
where it's like, you know,cleaned out the gutters.
That's been a task recently withall the rain we've had in
Cincinnati.
I've had to go up and like scoopout some like gutter stuff to
make sure that water's flowingaway from the foundation of the
building.
And like I've been like pullingweeds and stuff and getting like
(32:44):
the backyard, like the perimeteraround the backyard just to make
it look nice and clean.
Yeah.
Like doing some likeFertilization and everything
like that for the yard to makesure that the grass is growing
in right.
So it's like little things likethat.
Like I don't know.
But it's like I'm just doing aspart of like, you know, I'm
taking care of this person'shouse really.
Like I'm renting their house.
You know, I still pay them rentmoney, but it's like, I'm also
(33:07):
like, I want it to, I want to bea good tenant and take care of
the property.
So, but you know, I don't know.
It's interesting.
Like, I don't know if I, like, Iwould personally be like down
for, it's complicated.
Like them, like a landlordsaying like, if you, do X, Y,
and Z, you don't have to paythis X amount in rent.
(33:27):
I feel like that couldcomplicate things a little bit.
I think I agree as well.
What if you do a bad job?
Yeah, I think it would be moreof like if you have a lot of
properties and need a handymanor whatever.
I feel like it's a case-by-casebasis.
I don't know whether I wouldeither.
Yeah.
Would you have caught theexcessive material purchases
earlier, or do you trust tenantstoo much?
(33:49):
So in this story– do you thinkthat you would have caught it?
I'm going to be so honest.
I was so focused on the voicesthat I didn't pay attention to
the story.
Well, basically...
Let me reread it real quick.
No, remember there was the wholething with the hardware store
was like...
The big box.
Yeah, he was like using hiscredit card or whatever.
Steve got a call from thehardware store.
(34:11):
The handyman was buying a bunchof material.
Yeah.
And he ended up like, youknow...
Cash, yeah.
Not using the money for likeactual stuff.
I mean...
I don't know.
I feel like when the tenant justgets started, it seems like this
– it's not like the landlord andthe tenant knew each other super
well or that the tenant hadreally proven himself to be like
(34:32):
a reliable and honest person.
So I think that it wouldprobably have been smart of the
landlord to pick up on things alittle sooner.
Yeah.
Again, as always, we consult ourprofessionals.
We have a professional on teamthat kind of like talks to us
about what's going on withrental stuff because again–
Patrick and I are not very–we're new to the market.
(34:53):
We're new to everything.
We're just kind of learningalong with everybody.
They basically said if you'regoing to get into a relationship
like this with one of yourtenants, making sure that you
have clear rules in your leasethat you sign with this person
is a strong thing to do.
Making sure that whatever therelationship is, all the
specificities are underlined,that you're not just like
assuming anything.
(35:14):
I think that's it.
Story time officially over.
Thank you again for yournarration.
Yeah, no problem.
You killed the judge roll.
Yeah, a reminder out there.
If you guys have a tenant horrorstory or a story that you want
us to read on the Rentishpodcast, you can always email
questions at therentishpod.comwith your stories.
Please make sure to writecharacters that Patrick can
(35:36):
play.
But his range is pretty good.
Unlimited.
It's unlimited.
I feel like that voice I did, Ialso did in a previous story.
So I got to...
I was getting a little likeGrima Wormtongue kind of action
in there.
I don't even know what thatmeans.
He's Lord of the Ringscharacter.
Which one is he?
He's like the snaky characterfor King Theoden.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Okay.
(35:56):
Yeah.
Well, thank you all forlistening to this episode of The
Rentish Pod.
Thank you for joining us.
As always, I'm Zach.
That's Patrick.
We're here to talk real estateand property management with you
guys.
We're hoping that you'reenjoying the show.
Remember to follow us on all ofthe social feeds that are out
there and double check yourpodcast platform of choice if it
gives you the option to rate orreview or give us a five-star
(36:18):
rating or a 10-star rating orleave us a comment.
We would really appreciate youif you did that because every
little bit helps the podcastout.
And share it with your friends.
If you have friends that areinto property management or just
fun, goofy times, maybe sendthem the link.
But give us a rating.
We would appreciate you.
And it would make sure thatPatrick has the means to feed
(36:41):
himself.
SPEAKER_01 (36:43):
Again,
SPEAKER_00 (36:46):
email questions at therentishpod.com if you want to
ask us a question or bring atopic to us.
We would appreciate you.
Well, that's it.
Have a great night, everyone.
Bye-bye.
What's going on everybody?
My name is Zach and I'm herewith Patrick.
What up?
We are just getting closer andcloser to us being like early
morning radio DJs.
We're your hosts for the Rentishpodcast, a podcast that's kind
(00:22):
of about rental properties andhosted by two guys that work in
the real estate industry andsort of know what they're
talking about.
But mostly don't.
Yes, Patrick, mostly we don't,which is why you'll have fun
hearing us talk to experts andlearning with us or laughing
along at how little we know.
Today's episode's gonna be agood one, Pat.
I'm so excited.
We've been prepping, prepping,prepping, prepping, working so
(00:42):
hard on it.
Have we?
Oh, yeah, we've been workingreal hard.
Oh, yeah, both of us have, yeah.
We've been working real harddoing the writing and the
editing and the research.
We do it all around here, youknow?
This week, we're gonna cover acouple different big topics.
We got the Tribune Tower.
We're gonna go back toPropetology and talk about the
Tribune Tower.
We're gonna talk about tradingwork for rent, which is a real
(01:04):
estate story that we've got.
And we're gonna talk about We'regoing to go through some news,
the real news that you need toknow about the hottest interior
design trends of 2025.
So it's going to be a goodepisode, Pat.
How you doing?
I'm pumped.
I'm excited to talk about realestate.
Pumped, pumped.
Pumped.
Pumped.
P-U-M-P-T.
P-U-M-P-T.
P-U-M-P-T.
(01:25):
Would you go on a spelling bee?
How well do you think you'd doon a spelling bee?
I did a spelling bee when I wasin eighth grade.
Get out of here.
And like, yeah, I think I likespelled like muffin, like
M-U-F-F-E-N or something.
It may not have been that bad,but like, yeah, I didn't do too
hot.
Spelling was never my strongsuit when I was a kid.
So when I would watch thespelling bee on TV, I'd always
(01:46):
be like, those kids are so muchbetter than me.
I'm a visual learner.
Having to spell by seeing it inmy head, I guess, or trying to
imagine it and say it, I'm goingto mess up.
I totally agree.
It's always baffled me.
Every year I watch that stupidspelling bee and every year it
baffles me.
(02:06):
How do they get the spellingmore accurate?
By getting the country of originor asking to use it in a
sentence?
What is that doing to help you?
I don't get, it's like, it'sstill the word.
You still have to spell theword.
How is using it in a sentencegonna give you a better, maybe
because you can picture thesentence in context?
There might be like Latin rootsand stuff.
(02:26):
Maybe.
Like root words, like, oh.
Or it's like if you're using itin a sentence where you're
specifically talking aboutsomeone, it's gonna reflect a
bit differently because of theway that that sentence is said.
I don't know.
We're not spellers around here.
Good thing, we just have totalk.
I'm really good at spelling onMicrosoft Word where it's got
the red squiggly linesunderneath it and I right click
it.
Yes, the squiggly lines.
Yeah.
You can spell it.
I agree.
You can have the computercorrect me.
(02:49):
Autospel.
One of the best humaninventions.
Yes.
Can we agree on that?
I mean, actually, no.
One of the best humaninventions?
It's convenient in a specificsituation.
One of the best tech inventionsof all time.
Okay.
Yeah, sure.
Well, come back to me in afuture episode with a list of
(03:09):
best tech inventions of alltime.
We'll discuss it.
Patrick?
Let's get into Propetology.
Yeah.
Today we're talking about theTribune Tower.
That's a Neo-Gothic.
Oh, it's a cool word.
Neo-Gothic.
N-E-O.
G-O-T-H-I-C.
Use it in a sentence.
The Tribune Tower is a neogothicskyscraper.
That was good.
That was fun.
(03:30):
That was a good wit on that one.
Yeah, it's located in Chicago,Illinois, stands as one of the
city's most iconic landmarks.
Completed in 1925, the towerserved as the headquarters for
the Chicago Tribune for nearly acentury, reflecting Chicago's
resilience and richarchitectural heritage.
Patrick, you're our residentdescriber, and you said you're a
visual learner, so describe thisbuilding.
(03:50):
It's tall.
It's kind of light gray And Ithink Gothic is a really good
way to describe it.
I don't want to describe thedefinition with the definition,
but it's kind of got the...
I don't know where Gothic evencomes from, like Germany or
something.
But like...
Country of origin.
That's their other spelling beejoke.
(04:12):
How about that?
Oh, boom.
Country of origin.
I'm going to look up Gothicetymology.
It's kind of like the...
I mean, I think everyone prettyknows...
Oh! What?
Patrick.
Is it German?
From French.
Oh.
Gothic.
You want to give me a French onthat one?
Well, TH isn't even like aFrench sound.
That sound doesn't even exist inFrench.
(04:35):
It was used in the 17th and 18thcenturies to mean not classical,
i.e.
not Greek or Roman, hence torefer to medieval architecture.
It did not follow classicalmodels.
Got it.
Late Latin of origin, but Frenchis the...
primarily the way it starteddeviated gothic gothic I kind of
think like Dracula a little bitwith gothic oh totally yeah yeah
(04:59):
yeah I think of gothicarchitecture I think of I think
of gargoyles gargoyles that's agood one yeah like the Disney
animated show gargoyles is thefirst thing that comes to my
mind yeah this is basically thatin like that kind of
architecture in skyscraper formyeah it's kind of got like at
the tip of each one of like thespires at the top it's kind of
(05:19):
got that like really ornate sortof like pokey architecture.
Right, pokey.
I don't know if there's like abetter, there's certainly a
better more, a crown.
Kind of like a crown.
Producer Moussey says a crown.
I think that's very apt.
Very detailed and elaborate, youknow, especially in the tops of
the buildings.
For sure.
Very pretty.
I like, so we've talked aboutall sorts of buildings and we're
going to keep talking about allsorts of buildings as we do the
(05:41):
show because that's what theshow is.
Art Deco is probably one of myfavorite styles of buildings.
That style is so cool to me.
Gothic architecture I think isawesome.
So cool.
Such a cool design.
I personally love this.
I mean, where are you at withthe design?
Oh, I'm a big fan.
I like Chicago.
I mean, so I went to Chicago afew times, but I went recently,
actually, like two, three monthsago.
Saw this building, obviously.
(06:02):
Yeah, yeah.
I just think Chicago's vibe andarchitecture is really cool.
It is very cool.
Yep.
No wonder they used it forBatman.
Yeah, it really does give offBatman vibes.
That's my favorite.
So I love Chicago, too.
It's probably one of my favoritecities in the United States.
Every time I'm there...
One of the pieces of music I'lllisten to is just the Hans
(06:24):
Zimmer soundtrack from the Nolanmovies.
Oh, okay.
Because they literally shotthose movies in Chicago.
And so when you're at the trainsand everything, and it's just
like, oh, it feels so right.
And so I look at this building,and I hear the Dark Knight
themes.
I like the animated shows theme.
(06:49):
Yeah.
Yeah.
The original Tribune Tower, alittle bit of history for you,
was built in 1868 but wasdestroyed in the Great Chicago
Fire of 1871.
Rising from the ashes of thistragedy, the Chicago Tribune
sought to rebuild a headquartersthat would be both grand and
enduring.
In 1922, to commemorate thepaper's 75th anniversary, the
Tribune launched aninternational design
(07:10):
competition, inviting architectsfrom around the world to propose
designs for, quote, the mostbeautiful and distinctive office
building in the world, endquote, which is quite praise
there, quite high praise.
The competition offered a totalof$100,000 in prize money.
That's probably, that's a lotfor 1922, by the way.
With$50,000 awarded to thewinning design.
The competition drew over 260entries.
(07:32):
Some of the more unconventionaldesigns, including a Oh, that
would have been sweet.
Okay.
I like this building, but Iwould also like to see a cash
register building.
I would also like to see thattoo.
Sounds a bit gaudy, but I'm surethey would have done a decent
job.
I'm sure it would have been justlike, aesthetically similar but
(07:55):
not like literally I'm picturinglike a giant cash register just
plopped in the center of the bigcity but yeah the honor
ultimately went to New Yorkarchitects John Meade Howells
and Raymond Hood whoseneo-gothic design was inspired
by The Rhone Cathedral inFrance?
You want to give me a Francecheck on that one, buddy?
I've never seen it.
Rhone?
(08:15):
Rhone?
Really?
Of all the ways that I wouldhave predicted how to say that
word, that is not the way that Ipredicted.
Rhone, maybe?
I don't know.
I've never seen the word.
Rhone?
I'm trying to think what theO-U-E sound would make in
French.
I have no idea.
We'll get a French expert onhere.
You're a French expert.
Yeah, but I've never seen thatword.
It's like if you give me a word,I've never seen the English.
(08:37):
I don't know how to pronounce.
I'm not going to like.
Sure.
That's fair.
That's fair.
I'm sorry to heat check you onthat, buddy.
I didn't mean to get you soriled up there.
We'll do some more research onthat one.
Hood would later go on to designthe famous Rockefeller Center in
New York City.
So there you go.
Oh.
So probably that's a tough one.
Tribune Tower is a very iconicbuilding.
(08:58):
What do you think, that versusRockefeller Center?
I'm looking up the RockefellerCenter right now.
Maybe design-wise, I think theTribune Tower probably has a
more iconic design, but theRockefeller Center is like,
that's a place a lot of peopleknow about.
Bless you.
Really?
Yeah, that's right.
(09:32):
So it's houses now.
I dislike that.
I like it better as theheadquarters for a newspaper.
Yeah, you show me the outside ofthat building, I think that's
either a headquarters for anewspaper or Bruce Wayne's
residency.
If it was Bruce Wayne'sresidency, if Bruce Wayne is one
of the residents, I'm okay withit.
Sure, that makes sense.
(09:52):
I'm not sure if you're lookingat the news doc, but do you have
a guess for me?
162 luxury residences.
The renovated tower has high-endamenities, including a rooftop
terrace, a private fitnesscenter, a spa, an indoor golf
simulator, and three-bedroom,four-bathroom condos.
3,200 square foot rents for howmuch per month?
(10:14):
Are you looking at the doc, ordid you spoil it for yourself,
or do you want to guess for me?
I have no idea.
Take a shot.
Three-bedroom, four-bathroomcondo in Chicago.
3,200 square foot rents.
That's so much.
That's a lot of space.
In Chicago, which is cheaperthan New York, but that's still
a lot of space per month.
15,000.
You are so close.
Higher.
(10:35):
20,000.
A little lower.
$18,500 per month.
$18,500 to be able to rent permonth one of these condos.
No thank you, everybody.
I'm going to go ahead and saythat's not in my budget.
(10:55):
How many people are rentingthose versus owning them
outright?
That's a good question.
I actually don't know.
We don't have that informationhere for you.
That's still crazy.
Maybe they have them leased on ayearly basis and this is just
like the monthly breakdown orsomething like that.
Wow.
That's crazy.
Still pretty crazy.
A couple of fun facts for youabout the Tribune Tower.
Embedded in the lower levels areabout 150 stones and fragments
(11:19):
from historical landmarks aroundthe world, including pieces from
the Great Wall of China, theParthenon, the Berlin Wall, and
the Taj Mahal.
Wow.
Which is...
Oh, wait.
I feel like I remember that.
Remember that from what?
When I went to Chicago, there'sjust a bunch of stones on the...
Oh, yeah?
Yeah.
So you were that close.
You were so close that you couldtouch it because I've only ever
seen the building.
(11:39):
I kind of forgot that it wasthat building.
But, yeah, there was– I wentwith my friends and there was
like a rock from Put-In-Bay fromOhio.
Really?
My buddies and I, we had goneto, and we were there in Chicago
together.
Like, oh, Pun Bay.
Love Pun Bay.
Yeah, of all the rocks to have.
Yeah.
Also, Great Pyramid, AbrahamLincoln's tomb, which is a wild
(12:00):
one.
Not sure how you acquire a pieceof Abe Lincoln's tomb, but they
got it.
Notre Dame de Paris.
Did I get that?
Yeah, that was pretty good.
Notre Dame de Paris.
I can't with the phlegm.
I'm not very good at that part.
And petrified wood from theredwood forest.
That's pretty sweet.
So all sorts of stuff there.
(12:21):
I would love to...
That alone...
the cost of acquiring all thosematerials, it's gonna factor
into this building.
Yeah, it's like$1,000 worth ofrent.
Exactly, yeah.
From 1999 to 2011, the towereven housed a moon rock brought
back by Buzz Aldrin on loan fromNASA.
The tower's crown is illuminatedat night, showing its
(12:42):
gothic-inspired buttresses andadding a striking element to the
Chicago skyline.
Above the entrance, there's anengraved quote that reads, give
the world the best you have andthe best will come back with
you.
Reflecting the Tribune'sphilosophy of the time that's a
sweet quote is it should that bethis should that be the slogan
for our podcast no give theworld the best you have and the
(13:02):
best will come back to you youdon't think that's a good quote
no i don't put out positivityget positivity back He's looking
for an argument.
He's trying to ruminate on anargument there.
A couple more fun facts and thenwe'll wrap up.
The Tribune Tower once had asecret bar called the Crown
Room, which is so cool, hiddenbehind a nondescript door on the
24th floor.
It was a favorite spot forTribune employees and Chicago
(13:25):
elites.
So imagine going to a secret baronly for Chicago Tribune
employees.
At that time.
That's cool.
We need one of those for therent-ish pod.
Yeah.
Just our office here, like alittle rent-ish pod office.
We have a secret bar.
I want to like touch this lampor like lift that up and it
opens up a secret compartmentwhere we have– free alcohol
(13:46):
afterwards.
I would also like free alcoholafterwards.
That sounds great.
And the building's lobbies adornwith carved depictions of great
writers and thinkers, includingShakespeare, Benjamin Franklin,
and Dante.
You know, lots of legacy at thebuilding.
I think it's cool that there areso many aspects of it that just
takes on the spirit of somethinglike a newspaper, like the
Chicago Tribune, like being ableto not necessarily, you know,
(14:07):
it's condos now, it's a placefor residential.
They're able to also take a lotof inspiration from what the
building originally was, andcarry on that heart, and And I
think that that's really, reallycool.
That's it for Propetology.
And yeah, we're gonna talk aboutsome other stuff now.
(14:30):
Well, let's shift gears.
So in terms of inviting homeoffices, our producers have
placed a very I thinkappropriate image here of
another modern home office, 2025kind of like style and layout.
You want to give the audiencelike a little visual descriptor?
Yeah, it's like pretty lightcolored as well, a little more
(14:53):
blue.
I had time to prepare on thisone too, and I can't.
Yeah, you're just.
I'm really bad at this.
It's got pillows on theright-hand side on kind of like
a nook or a reading bench orsomething.
Sure, that's good.
I like this.
Keep going.
It's got a desk.
It's got a grayish.
What kind of desk?
What's a desk?
Big desk?
It looks impractical.
(15:17):
I don't know.
It looks real nice.
I don't know.
That is a professional-looking,thick, heavy desk.
You could do some work on that.
You could set a pen down and itwouldn't roll.
That's the kind of desk that I'mimagining is just firm, solid.
Yeah.
It doesn't look like it has anyshelving for you to put your
(15:37):
junk, though.
But that's what's behind it.
Again, I was going to call outthe built-ins.
Oh, it's got shelves.
Good, good.
Like you can display all thoselike cool little things.
Like I would have so many Batmancomics.
Toys.
Yeah.
Well, these decorations are justkind of like, like, what are
these?
It looks like stuff that youwould buy at like in the
clearance aisle of Hobby Lobby.
Yes.
Because it, All of the setdecoration here that we got for
(16:00):
this photo, it's like emptyvase.
The wicker ball there on the topright is cracking me up where
it's like that is such a thingthat you would see in Hobby
Lobby.
Where it's like twine roped ballthat's just like there for
decoration.
Or my favorite.
Did you ever see these growingup?
I would go over to friends'houses and some of them would
(16:20):
have the clear bowl with thefake grapes in it.
Oh my god, that's my mom.
What is that?
What?
My mom had lemons, oranges.
She would change– she would keepthings fresh.
Just like decorative glassfruit.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
What are we doing here?
I don't know.
I agree.
I think that trend has largelygone by the wayside.
(16:40):
Not in my mom's house.
Yeah, I don't know.
I don't know.
Would you work out of thisoffice, Pat?
Out of this office?
Yeah, the modern office, the onewe were just looking at.
Yeah.
I mean I wouldn't feel– Iwouldn't feel like at home in
any way.
Just not your general style.
No, but I feel like I could beproductive on that desk, I
think.
I could definitely work at it.
(17:02):
I would change some thingsaround and personalize it to be
more like me.
It would be definitely a lotmore like geeky and kind of just
like a little bit more poppy andcolorful.
But I think that this greatroom, lots of natural light, I
think that that seems to be whata lot of people are looking for.
This one looks a little lessmodern than the last.
Yeah.
(17:23):
Maybe it's just like the type offurniture.
Maybe.
I don't know.
All right, we got a couple moreto get through.
Powder rooms, your favoritething.
I know what these are.
All right, we're going to ripthrough this one a little bit
quicker because we need to tryand get through a couple extra
things here.
Bold colors, unique wallpapersthat make a statement, artistic
fixtures and creative tiling foradded personality, and compact
yet luxurious designs thatmaximize style in small spaces.
(17:47):
Patrick, powder roomdescription, go.
Oh man, there's some crazyoptical illusion wallpaper.
That's a good way to put it,okay.
Like I feel like I'm beinghypnotized.
Like granite countertop.
Yeah, thick granite too.
That's like a slab of marbleright there.
Yeah, gold plated mirror.
(18:07):
Yeah, lots of gold accents.
That's a good call out.
Fake flowers.
How do you know those are fake?
I think they could be real.
They definitely seem fake.
They look fake.
Yeah, I mean, I could brush myteeth here, I think.
Yeah, it's nice.
The wallpaper is not myfavorite.
It's a little disorienting.
I think that a more simplisticwallpaper is probably where I
(18:29):
would go.
But yeah, I like the goldaccents.
I actually think it makes itlook very classy.
And that mirror, I actuallythink that mirror is legit.
It's kind of got like a floatingdesign.
Like it almost kind of feelslike it's like, because they've
got these exterior kind ofborders that's just kind of
hanging there.
But all in all, very modernbathroom.
I don't know, your ideal powderroom.
(18:51):
What's the 2025 interior designpowder room for Patrick?
A bidet is a must.
Bidet is a must.
It's a must.
Okay.
Yes.
Do you have a bidet?
Oh, my goodness, yes, I have abidet.
I've installed a bidet at mymom's place, at several friends'
places.
Okay.
It has been life-changing eversince I got a bidet in 2019.
(19:11):
Before, it was, like, cool inAmerica to have bidets.
I've been on the bidet train.
Okay.
Do you have a bidet?
I don't.
Oh.
I guess I'm living in the past.
You are, yeah.
Okay.
Well, bidets, certainly modern.
I still feel like they're notcommon in a lot of American
households.
They've gotten more so, butyeah, I agree.
I feel like they've gotten moreso popular because they're
(19:32):
easier to install and easier tobuy.
There's companies on Amazon.
You could just buy a bidet andinstall it yourself, right?
Self-install?
Yeah, that's what I've done.
That's what you did?
Yeah.
Okay.
All right.
Well, that's the powder room.
I know that you'll probablynever, ever call it a powder
room, but again, I want you totell.
The next time you're havingfamily dinner, just stand up and
say, I'm going to go to thepowder room I'm going to try to
(19:52):
make that a regular part of myvernacular because I think it's
I've not heard anyone say thatlike ever excuse me mother I
need to go to the powder room torelieve myself alright
sustainable and eco-friendlychoices hey the environment we
like the environment here use ofrecycled and upcycled materials
energy efficient appliances andlighting solutions and the
(20:14):
incorporation of biophilicdesign elements such as indoor
plants and natural textures yeahTalk about a word of the day
calendar.
I've never heard of biophilic.
Yeah.
You heard that one before?
No.
What does that even mean?
I'm assuming it's related tobiology, like bio.
Bio.
Phil.
What does philic mean?
(20:34):
Philic.
Biophilic refers to the inherenthuman tendency to affiliate with
nature and other forms of life.
Biophilic design is an approachto architecture and design that
seeks to connect buildingoccupants more closely to
nature.
So it's incorporating morenatural elements.
into your personal space is whatthat kind of sounds like.
(20:54):
Yeah, I was about to say, thisphoto of this living room, it's
like, I feel like I'm in thejungle right now.
You know what I mean?
Yeah, no, I feel you.
Like there's plants.
Lots of plants.
They even made the couch andchair green.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's a lot of green.
I mean, the strong green colordoes contrast, though, I think
(21:15):
nicely with the cream-coloredwall.
I agree.
I think it's like a nice little,it's a cozy space.
I can imagine and having a lattehere and enjoying myself.
This is definitely my favoriteof the pictures that we've
discussed.
I would agree.
What's the plant life situationin your apartment?
I have a snake plant.
A snake plant?
Like one?
Yeah, they're so easy.
I got one.
Those things are, it's like atank.
(21:36):
I don't water it.
It's still alive.
Water me, Patrick, please.
It's like screaming at you everytime he leaves the house.
So it's just one plant.
I just got one, yeah.
Just one?
What about you?
Oh, hella plants, baby.
Like at least three per room.
Oh, wow.
At least three per month.
You're not messing around.
Got to have green.
Love that jungle vibe.
(21:57):
I have a painting of a moose,though.
What?
That's not really relevant.
I love the moose aesthetic.
You know what I mean?
I just have a painting of amoose above my Blu-rays.
Whoa.
Is it a real painting or a printthat you got?
I got it at a thrift store forlike$15.
(22:20):
I have no idea.
It seems pretty legit.
Like it seems like an actualpainting that someone put on the
canvas or is it a print thatsomeone framed?
I think it might be more of aprint.
I have no idea.
Go look at it.
Go look at it a little bitcloser.
How would I know?
Well, you can get up close to apainting and you could pretty
much...
Yeah, you'd be able to tell ifit was actually hand-painted or
(22:41):
if it was a print.
Yeah, I'll let you know in thenext episode.
Let us know in the next episode.
Keep us posted on MooseGate.
Next up, we got vintage andartisan accents, the revival of
antique and handcrafted pieces,local craftsmanship and cultural
influences, and uniqueone-of-a-kind decor items that
tell a story.
We don't have an image for thisone, but I can kind of get the
sense of what they're talkingabout here.
(23:02):
Just kind of like...
adding more classical pieces toyour place.
Not necessarily classical, likeBaroque.
Rustic is what I'm kind ofgetting.
I'm a big fan of this vibe.
Sure, me too.
I'm a big fan of this.
I got a rotary phone on myshelf.
That is a great example.
I've got a typewriter.
Do you use the typewriter?
(23:23):
I was a pen pal with my cousinwho's 12.
She had gotten a typewriter forher birthday and so we started
doing typewriter and I gave herthe wrong address so I never got
her letter and then That kind ofjust ended after.
Wow, you're a crappy pen pal.
Pen enemy is more like it.
Penemy.
And then last up here, we gothome bars or beverage stations.
(23:45):
We already kind of talked aboutthis with the bar cart, so we
kind of predicted the futurehere.
But yeah, another just exampleof so many, you know, modern
houses having these kind ofstyles, like a collective space
for gathering, like that's not adining room or a living room.
It's more like a space where youcan come in and have glasses and
bar stuff, make a drink, standaround and talk with your
friends.
Catch up.
Have a good time.
(24:06):
Come over to my home bar.
Have a few laughs.
Name that movie.
Have a few laughs.
What movie is it?
Come on.
You got it.
Hold on.
Have a few laughs.
Yeah, you can hear it, can'tyou?
Oh, man.
Oh, man.
Oh, man.
Hold on.
Stop.
What's the actor?
Bruce Willis.
Bruce Willis.
I knew it was Bruce Willis.
What movie?
Die Hard.
Yeah.
Film card revoked, everybody.
(24:27):
I love Die Hard, too.
Yeah.
Oh, that killed me.
Yeah, so kind of just likewrapping up here.
I mean...
How do these trends reflectcurrent lifestyle shifts?
I mean I think that from whatwe've talked about, a lot of
these places are becoming morelike communal and homey and less
like– I think that for a whilethere, there was an emphasis on
like minimal design.
But I feel like a lot of thestuff that we've covered,
(24:49):
there's a lot of stuff going on.
There's much more– like there'splants and there's things here
and there's big– like lots ofbold character I think is what I
would say.
I agree.
I think each of those photos hadcharacter whether it was– it
wasn't always the same.
kind of character.
They all had character.
How can renters incorporatethese trends without making
permanent changes?
(25:10):
This is a good one for both ofus.
We're both renters.
How do you get this kind ofmodern 2025 aesthetic without
actually having to take a hammerto a wall and make some
built-ins?
I've always been of the opinionthat sure, you can't control the
floor plan, but besides thekitchen and powder room, most of
the rooms are empty anyways.
(25:31):
I'm a big fan of Yeah.
Of personalization with yourfurniture and your and your
decorations.
I'm a big decoration guy.
Yeah.
I don't know.
Yeah.
Furniture, lamps, artwork.
Lamps is huge.
Lamps are big.
I do think that like if you useoverhead lighting by default,
you're a clown.
Yeah, I completely agree.
(25:52):
And that got me.
It's like it's always too brightand it's ugly.
It's like just, you know.
Yeah.
No, you got to get warmlighting.
I got some like some of thoselike I don't know if they're
Christmas lights or what do youcall it?
Fair.
String lights.
String lights.
And I've got like, it's an oldbuilding, so there's like a
sprinkler system, and I'vewrapped it around the sprinkler
(26:12):
system.
That sounds safe.
In my living room.
It looks sweet.
Remember, Patrick and I are notreal estate professionals.
We don't kid, so I don't adviseyou to use sprinkler lights to
wrap your string lights.
Okay, and then, yeah, so theBest of House Awards 2025 trend
highlights a diverse andinnovative approach to interior
(26:33):
Correct.
Correct.
Correct.
Okay, Patrick, we're going toshift gears over to the Tenet
(26:55):
Horror Story of the Week.
This is one of my favoritesegments because you get to
really show off your actingchops.
It's one of your favoritesegments?
It is one of my favoritesegments.
Okay.
And for no other reason thanjust me.
Then I just, you know, somemight say, you know, have an
undiscovered talent.
You walk into a studio one dayand you audition and then you
just, you could be the next LeoDiCaprio.
(27:16):
We just don't know.
I mean, it's pretty discoveredat this point since you guys
make me do the voices.
Well, If you're listening tothis out there, feel free to
share on social media platformsof your choice.
And yeah, if you know anybody inHollywood, please send this as a
resume for Patrick.
He'd be happy to audition forwhatever role that you have
(27:37):
there.
But today's story, trading workfor rent.
Yeah, let's get right into it.
Steve bought another property inModesto, California.
This property needed quite a bitof work, and he was referred to
a handyman who was willing totrade work for rent.
Steve is one who likes a gooddeal and barters quite a bit.
He agreed to let the handymanmove in and to trade a portion
(27:58):
of the rent for the tenants'labor.
Anytime the tenant needed topurchase materials for the
project, the local big boxhardware store would call Steve
up for his credit card numberand approval.
However, not long after the workstarted, Steve got a call from
the local big box hardwarestore.
What is this big box hardwarestore?
It just means like a big...
(28:20):
It just means like one of thebig ones, like not like a
local...
Like Big Box would be like a BigBox...
Exactly.
Got it.
Big Box retailer would be likeHome Depot, Lowe's, instead of
like...
Or Ace Hardware or somethinglike that.
Got it.
If you're like John Smith'shardware on Elm Street, that's
not a big box.
Got it.
Okay.
(28:40):
Learn something new every day.
They told him that the handymanseemed to be buying an excessive
amount of material.
To make things worse, thetenant's kids would come over
into the store and some of thematerials asking for a cash
reward.
I botched that.
You were close, though.
You just missed the word refund.
(29:00):
To make things worse, thetenant's kids would come back
into the store.
Come back into the store withsome of the materials asking for
a cash refund.
We got through that.
Soon, the tenant's workprogressed slow to a complete
stop, and the tenant had to beasked to leave.
Of course, the tenant refused,so it went to eviction court.
There, the tenant claimed Stevewas the absolute scumlord.
SPEAKER_01 (29:24):
Okay,
SPEAKER_00 (29:27):
renting out a home without a kitchen.
The conversation in court goeskind of like this.
Okay, so remind me who I'mplaying.
So you're the judge.
I'm the judge.
And I'm the tenant.
So I got to get a judge voiceout.
Yeah, and I'm the evictionattorney at one point.
Just heads up.
Did you have a lease?
That was actually so good.
(29:48):
I don't know why I went a littleMatt Berry on that one.
No, I love that.
Did you have a lease?
No.
Did you ever sign anything?
No.
At this point, the evictionattorney hands a copy of the
lease to the bailiff, who handsit to the judge.
Is this your signature?
Yes, but the house doesn't havea kitchen.
(30:08):
Your Honor, it's our belief thatthe property had a kitchen when
the tenant moved in.
Was there a kitchen in the housewhen you moved it?
Yes, but I tore it out on thethird or fourth day of living
there.
At this point, Steve's attorneyturns to Steve and says, all
this life as an attorney.
(30:30):
Do it again.
You got it.
I'm
SPEAKER_01 (30:32):
Batman.
I'm Batman.
SPEAKER_00 (30:34):
All your life as an attorney, you wait for a Perry
Mason moment.
This is it.
Oh, yeah.
The last line of the story isthe judge affected the time.
UNKNOWN (30:46):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (30:46):
Great story.
Great narration.
Great job.
Oh, man.
UNKNOWN (30:50):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (30:50):
So I guess the moral of the story here, would you
ever trade work for rent?
SPEAKER_01 (30:55):
Is that the moral of the story?
SPEAKER_00 (30:57):
Well, not the moral, but I guess the main question, I
guess, here.
I mean, I don't know.
What about you?
Would you ever trade work forrent, or is it too risky?
I think it could be worth it,you know?
I don't know how you feel, butif you're going to be paying a
handyman...
like a bunch of money.
And it might just be moreconvenient to then rent them out
(31:17):
of space if you have the space.
I don't know, though.
I'm not in a position where I'vehad to do that.
What do you think?
So I actually have a coupleinteresting ways to kind of spin
this for me personally.
As a renter, I'm qualified totell these stories.
One apartment that I lived in inCincinnati, it was like a single
house building, but it wasdivided into three units.
(31:40):
And I lived on the second floorof the building.
The third floor is was the atticthat was renovated into a single
bedroom apartment.
The landlord rented that out tohis maintenance guy.
And his maintenance guy, I'mguessing the trade-off there, I
never learned specifics of thecontract, but he would do any of
the utility for the apartmentbuilding.
So anytime I called themaintenance guy, it was the guy
(32:02):
that lived upstairs that wouldthen fix whatever the problem
was or whatever was broken.
So clearly the relationshipseemed to work out for the two
of them.
I don't know whether he chargedhim any rent or if it was just
live in this place and fix theplace up as see fit.
The interesting thing now isthat the house that I live in
currently currently part of thelease is that I'm actually
(32:24):
responsible for like lawn careand stuff like that.
So like mowing the grass andeverything like that.
But then there's been likelittle things around the house
where it's like, you know,cleaned out the gutters.
That's been a task recently withall the rain we've had in
Cincinnati.
I've had to go up and like scoopout some like gutter stuff to
make sure that water's flowingaway from the foundation of the
building.
And like I've been like pullingweeds and stuff and getting like
(32:44):
the backyard, like the perimeteraround the backyard just to make
it look nice and clean.
Yeah.
Like doing some likeFertilization and everything
like that for the yard to makesure that the grass is growing
in right.
So it's like little things likethat.
Like I don't know.
But it's like I'm just doing aspart of like, you know, I'm
taking care of this person'shouse really.
Like I'm renting their house.
You know, I still pay them rentmoney, but it's like, I'm also
(33:07):
like, I want it to, I want to bea good tenant and take care of
the property.
So, but you know, I don't know.
It's interesting.
Like, I don't know if I, like, Iwould personally be like down
for, it's complicated.
Like them, like a landlordsaying like, if you, do X, Y,
and Z, you don't have to paythis X amount in rent.
(33:27):
I feel like that couldcomplicate things a little bit.
I think I agree as well.
What if you do a bad job?
Yeah, I think it would be moreof like if you have a lot of
properties and need a handymanor whatever.
I feel like it's a case-by-casebasis.
I don't know whether I wouldeither.
Yeah.
Would you have caught theexcessive material purchases
earlier, or do you trust tenantstoo much?
(33:49):
So in this story– do you thinkthat you would have caught it?
I'm going to be so honest.
I was so focused on the voicesthat I didn't pay attention to
the story.
Well, basically...
Let me reread it real quick.
No, remember there was the wholething with the hardware store
was like...
The big box.
Yeah, he was like using hiscredit card or whatever.
Steve got a call from thehardware store.
(34:11):
The handyman was buying a bunchof material.
Yeah.
And he ended up like, youknow...
Cash, yeah.
Not using the money for likeactual stuff.
I mean...
I don't know.
I feel like when the tenant justgets started, it seems like this
– it's not like the landlord andthe tenant knew each other super
well or that the tenant hadreally proven himself to be like
(34:32):
a reliable and honest person.
So I think that it wouldprobably have been smart of the
landlord to pick up on things alittle sooner.
Yeah.
Again, as always, we consult ourprofessionals.
We have a professional on teamthat kind of like talks to us
about what's going on withrental stuff because again–
Patrick and I are not very–we're new to the market.
(34:53):
We're new to everything.
We're just kind of learningalong with everybody.
They basically said if you'regoing to get into a relationship
like this with one of yourtenants, making sure that you
have clear rules in your leasethat you sign with this person
is a strong thing to do.
Making sure that whatever therelationship is, all the
specificities are underlined,that you're not just like
assuming anything.
(35:14):
I think that's it.
Story time officially over.
Thank you again for yournarration.
Yeah, no problem.
You killed the judge roll.
Yeah, a reminder out there.
If you guys have a tenant horrorstory or a story that you want
us to read on the Rentishpodcast, you can always email
questions at therentishpod.comwith your stories.
Please make sure to writecharacters that Patrick can
(35:36):
play.
But his range is pretty good.
Unlimited.
It's unlimited.
I feel like that voice I did, Ialso did in a previous story.
So I got to...
I was getting a little likeGrima Wormtongue kind of action
in there.
I don't even know what thatmeans.
He's Lord of the Ringscharacter.
Which one is he?
He's like the snaky characterfor King Theoden.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Okay.
(35:56):
Yeah.
Well, thank you all forlistening to this episode of The
Rentish Pod.
Thank you for joining us.
As always, I'm Zach.
That's Patrick.
We're here to talk real estateand property management with you
guys.
We're hoping that you'reenjoying the show.
Remember to follow us on all ofthe social feeds that are out
there and double check yourpodcast platform of choice if it
gives you the option to rate orreview or give us a five-star
(36:18):
rating or a 10-star rating orleave us a comment.
We would really appreciate youif you did that because every
little bit helps the podcastout.
And share it with your friends.
If you have friends that areinto property management or just
fun, goofy times, maybe sendthem the link.
But give us a rating.
We would appreciate you.
And it would make sure thatPatrick has the means to feed
(36:41):
himself.
SPEAKER_01 (36:43):
Again,
SPEAKER_00 (36:46):
email questions at therentishpod.com if you want to
ask us a question or bring atopic to us.
We would appreciate you.
Well, that's it.
Have a great night, everyone.
Bye-bye.
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