Mobile Home Park Mastery

No mobile home park in history has generated as much undeserved negative publicity as North Lamar in Austin, Texas.  Nothing we did was good enough for the Austin media. We saved the park from the wrecking ball. We brought the park back to life with new streets, entrance and lot-by-lot TLC. We made its ongoing operation possible by raising rents and fixing resident abuse of water and sewer. Finall...

What’s the highest hurdle you can jump over? Can you clear 4’ or more? In this second part of our Mobile Home Park Mastery Podcast two-part series on the “Top 7 Deal Killing Hurdles” we’re going to review the three highest hurdles that any park buyer must face and why they are so difficult. We’re also going to discuss the limited options to scale them and the enormity of the risks involved. If you...

Webster’s Dictionary defines a “hurdle” as “an obstacle or difficulty”. We’ve all seen runners in races going over hurdles of various heights – some successfully and others not. So what are the “Top 7 Deal Killing Hurdles” that mobile home park buyers have to navigate to successfully invest in affordable housing? In this week’s Mobile Home Park Mastery Podcast we’re beginning a two-part series to...

The mobile home park industry is filled with a number of time-proven mantras. It has benefitted from various high-profile players that are often quoted in the media, as well as affiliated stories from other sectors of real estate that have remarkable overlap. The sum of this body of work is the collective wisdom of many who have gone before, as well as those who are still an active part of the ind...

In 2014 the New York Times brought out a huge story about Frank & Dave and their success in building one of the largest mobile home park portfolios in the U.S. They even declared that Frank & Dave are the “best thing going in affordable housing when the nation’s need for low-cost places to live has never been greater”. But what else did the writer, Gary Rivlin, find in his research about t...

We all know that Columbus discovered America in 1492, and that America declared independence in 1776. But do any of us know the interesting dates in mobile home park history? In this episode of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series, we’re going to review these important dates and their relevance to this unique affordable housing product. While it’s unlikely that any high school will ever req...

Like any other science, there are a host of terms that are of relevance to mobile home park investing. In this episode of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series, we’re going to literally review these from A to Z – from “Affordable Housing” to “Sam Zell”. If you want to get a good grasp on the components of brief strategies that successful mobile home park buyer and operates utilize, then this...

Back in 1999 there were 400,000+ mobile homes sold in the U.S. with dealers making fortunes. Today, there are less than 100,000 being sold (it’s been that way since around 2000) and most of those same dealers have disappeared. In fact, you never even hear about mobile home dealers these days. Why is that and where did they go? In this episode of Mobile Home Park Mastery we’re going to discuss the...

“NIMBY” stands for “Not In My Back Yard” and is the attitude that has stopped new mobile home parks from being built in the U.S. for the past half century. Now the federal government is discussing the concept of promoting “YIMBY” which stands for “Yes In My Back Yard” – trying to coerce city government to allow mobile homes to be placed on lots restricted to stick-built single-family homes only. I...

The Wall Street Journal recently declared that the 4,100% rise of one Mobile Home Park REIT stock (and 2,000%+ of another) was a better return than virtually every other sector in the market. They compare the rise of trailer parks to that of high-tech. But is that a fair assessment? In this week’s Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss why mobile home parks are doing so well, and...

There’s an old saying that “good ranchers live poor and die rich”. But mobile home park owners get to live rich and die rich. Why the difference. In this episode of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series, we’re going to discuss that second profit center of mobile home parks that few people talk about. As you’ll see, there’s actually two compelling reasons to get into mobile home parks, not ju...

Are mobile home park residents really like “Waffle House customers chained to their booths” or is there much more freedom than this quote (that was taken out of context) would imply? In this episode of the Mobile Home Park Mastery we’re reviewing just exactly what the real options all mobile home park residents have, and why the media – and certain politicians – refuse to accept this reality.

Opportunity Zones are hot right now. But the way to make money with them may be a little different than what most Americans think. In this episode of Mobile Home Park Mastery we’re going to discuss the action steps to harnessing the power of the Opportunity Zone tax program based on the bigger picture than delaying or avoiding the tax man.

All good mobile home park owners have the same core of beliefs on what their role and duties are. But there’s a whole additional list that is not what they’re all about. In this episode of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series, we’re going to review the division between the sacred pledge of the smart park owner vs. items that should never be assumed to be in that list of duties. 

In 1955 a business school professor named L.E. Michelon published the first text book on mobile home parks titled “How to Build and Operate a Mobile Home Park”. Sadly, this book could not be further from the truth in how the industry operates today. In this episode of Mobile Home Park Mastery we’re going to discuss what the main differences are between 1955 concepts of construction and management...

There’s a board game called “Trailer Park Wars” that is based on every American stereotype of mobile home parks and their residents. But are these assumptions true? In this episode of Mobile Home Park Mastery we’re going to review in-depth the typical U.S. beliefs around “trailer parks” and come to conclusions as to their accuracy, as well as the origins of some of these myths.

We get love letters from residents all the time – not only on Valentine’s Day. Why do people love their mobile home parks so much? In this episode of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to read some of these letters and analyze the key drivers to customer satisfaction that we clearly deliver on every day. We’re also going to discuss other factors that make us the best housing option i...

Film star Greta Garbo used to exclaim “I want to be alone” when approached by fans and even other actors. And this sentiment can also have beneficial aspects in certain functions of the mobile home park buyer and operator. As you’ll see, there is power in solitude: the power of making better decisions. While many decisions a park owner makes work best with a spirit of inclusion of all parties invo...

Sometimes the best course of action is to go with the force instead of against it. In this edition of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast, we’re going to review effective strategies for park owners to harness negative energy and use it to create powerful solutions. As you’ll see, these are some classic moves that work every time if you just know how to complete them.

  The movie Ford vs. Ferrari focuses on driver Ken Miles, who was always in pursuit of the “perfect lap”. But what does the “perfect park” look like for the mobile home community buyer? In this episode of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series, we’re going to discuss what the “perfect park” would look like structurally, geographically and financially. You don’t need a GT40 to find this podcas...

Rodney Dangerfield got no respect – and that’s a common problem with mobile home park owners. In this edition of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series, we’re going to review strategies for owners to gain respect among sellers, bankers, brokers, residents and their peers. With respect an important part of self-worth, it’s important to discuss this topic and concrete steps to improve your stan...

Between now and 2037 roughly a third of all single-family homes in the U.S. will come on the market – over 20 million dwellings. This is twice the amount of supply during normal years, and will result in huge changes in population centers, home prices and financial markets. In this week’s Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to explore what the Silver Tsunami is exactly, as well as the imp...

Television is not what it used to be. And in this episode of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series, we’re going to revisit the favorite sitcoms of old and give them a trailer park twist. We’re going to review how they could be re-made in a mobile home park dimension and what the morals would be of the show. As you’ll see, there’s much to be learned in these new series.

The New Year is upon us. In only a few days we will cast aside 2019 and embrace 2020. This year will feature a presidential election, the roller coaster ride of the stock market, natural disasters, and all of the typical features of modern life. But what will the mobile home park industry be doing in 2020? In this week’s Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series we’re going to predict the key issues...

Mobile home park owners are in a tough position, as we have to wear two hats: both that of an investor as well as a mayor of a town in which the quality of life for the residents is paramount. So how do you strike a healthy balance between these two interests? In this edition of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series we’re going to review strategies to navigate these conflicting interests and...