The Rodriguez Family

When asked what they like about Lake Tahoe, both Gabriel and Gilda say “todo”. Everything, they smile. “It’s a calm place compared to Mexico City,” Gabriel adds. He’s been doing property management for 24 years now, and loves everything about his job, too.

“The maintenance work, cleaning off the snow, interacting with the tenants. It’s nice to have our own property and take care of it,” says Gabriel. Gilda helps a lot around the building, too.

Many people got their start in Incline Village before moving to other places within the Northern Nevada area, thanks to the affordability of their apartments.

“We encountered people who wanted to live in Incline and happened to have a place available,” Harlan says. “This is a stepping stone to moving somewhere else in town or around the lake,” he adds. People mainly found out about the Rodríguezes via word of mouth and needed a place to live. “Mucho, si,” Gabriel says when asked about whether many of their former tenants still live in the area. Harlan mentions though that many of their former tenants were forced to move to Carson City or Reno because of the exponential rent increases or landlords coming in and reclaiming their properties. Many of those former tenants (and new inquiries) were reaching out to the Rodríguezes wanting to move back, but by then the complex was full.

A handful of tenants have been in the complex for seven or eight years, one family even lived in “Harlan Plaza” for 20 years, the son growing up with Harlan. When tenants stay in a place for that long, it’s a testament to how great the landlords are.

“I like to think we’re good managers and that’s why people come looking for us,” Gabriel agrees. They both agree that it’s hard not being able to offer everyone a place to live who wants to move (or come back) to Tahoe.

“Our goal is to keep doing what we’re doing, maintain the property, keep helping those looking for a place to live, and give people an affordable home,” Gabriel says.

“One day we may buy more property, maybe open another laundromat,” Harlan says.

While Gabriel and Gilda do miss some things about Mexico City like the food and their family (“There’s nothing like it even in California and Arizona,” they all say), Incline Village has been their home for more than three decades, and they now have 19 family members who also live in Incline who help with the business, go to school here, and work other jobs. When I joke that they should buy an event venue for their own family reunions and holiday celebrations, Gilda laughs, “That would be great”.

“This has always been home to me,” Harlan adds. “I graduated in 2010 and a lot of my friends grew up here. I try to help [the community] through Rotary and whenever I have a project, they [Gabriel and Gilda] give me advice. We’re a team.”