Mobile Home Park Mastery

I frequently get calls from people who are looking at the concept of mobile home park investing and tell me “looks like all the good deals are taken and there’s not much left out there” – which they gather from a quick glance at on-line offerings. This thought is not supported by the simple fact that only around 4,000 of the 44,000 mobile home parks are institutionally owned. But if 90% of mobile...

There are four methods of measurement regarding mobile home park performance: 1) cap rate 2) coverage 3) cash-on-cash and 4) cash flow. But what is each one and how do you derive it? And what is acceptable? That’s the focus of this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast. 

Mobile home parks have no greater crime than surrounding subdivisions, but there’s no question that crime in America is way up and that holds true for all property types. So what can mobile home park owners do to reduce crime in their properties on a daily basis? In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to drill down on concepts to proactive reduce crime and how to build a template to...

Between the war in Ukraine and America plunging into the worst economy in 40 years, it’s easy to get depressed about the future. However, it’s always important to remember that not all futures are created equal. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to talk about navigating cycles, the contrarian nature of some assets, and the necessity of maintaining a calm head when all around you...

What really makes customers stay in mobile home parks for decades on end? Is it truly a barrier to removing their homes or is it something more? In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to focus on what really makes residents stay in place, as well as what makes them leave, and what the options are when they want to go.

Many people look at a handful of listings on Mobilehomeparkstore and Loopnet and declare “mobile home parks are overpriced!” But is that really true? In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to focus on this topic and examine it factually. Are all the good deals gone? We’re going to talk about that.

One of the few books ever written about mobile home parks was the 1955 “How to Build and Operate a Mobile Home Park” by L.C. Michelon. What’s amazing about this book is how little has changed over the decades regarding what makes a mobile home park successful. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss all the similarities reflected in the book and why they continue to hold tr...

If you own a mobile home park with even one vacant lot, you probably have a plan to fill that lot with a new or used home to obtain stable, monthly lot rent. And if you are going to sell or rent a home in a mobile home park, your success or failure begins with the simple action of picking up the phone. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to explore everything you need to know abou...

In our nation’s moment of pandering to the far left, perhaps it’s time to pay homage to the simple fact that mobile home parks can be just as woke as the next business – only it’s a fact and not just a PR posturing. As the only sustainable form of housing that’s green due to size and environmentally friendly since it creates no pollution, we could out-woke even the wokest business without breaking...

The advent of Spring brings new challenges to park owners in the form of lawn maintenance, higher water bills, and annual pothole repair. But it also brings forth an opportunity to improve your sense of community, property appearance, and dedication to pride of ownership in the form one single event: the Spring Clean-Up. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to review what these eve...

After over a decade-long absence, I am starting to see two of the greatest park buyer scams return to the marketplace: the “gypsy traveler” and the “rent guarantee”. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to expose how these two classic cons work and how you, as a buyers, can protect yourself from being taken advantage of.

Choosing contractors for any task in your mobile home park requires a thorough comparison of certain traits that can typically lead to success or failure. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to break down the algorhythm between selecting the cheap contractor vs. the more expensive options and how to make smart decisions using these criteria.

After nearly two years it would appear that the Covid crisis is officially over – at least in the minds of most people. Numbers are plummeting in both cases and political popularity. Businesses have abandoned mask mandates regardless of governmental directive and politicians are ending masking requirements before they have to go job hunting. It’s kind of like when the Berlin wall came down. But we...

The performance of your community manager will have a huge impact on your park’s profitability. So how can you maximize that performance? That’s the topic of this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast in which we’ll look at the key building blocks to motivation and how to elevate those to the next level. Since much of these steps have little or no cost, there’s no reason why every mobile home park owne...

In the old days, the typical mobile home park manager was tasked with a wide range of roles – and with these came considerable risk to the property owner. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to review the ever-changing role of the community manager and how it’s a win/win/win for the residents, the employee and the owner. 

The Federal government does some things well – but one of the big exceptions is sponsoring initiatives to aid in the American need for affordable housing. Over and over they put up unnecessary hurdles to reduce the ability of the average consumer to buy a mobile home. But the latest push for energy efficiency in mobile homes may be the dumbest yet. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re go...

Mobile home park lot rents are ridiculously low nationwide. At an average lot rent of around $300 per month, many mobile home park owners will surely re-develop into a better use of the land in the years ahead. For those who elect to remain as a mobile home community, it’s essential that rents be placed at sustainable levels in keeping with market forces. But what do you do when your market mobile...

USA Today released an article titled “Meet the New Mobile Home” which, although positive in nature, is certain to confuse most readers as to the true economics of the product. What’s missing from this article is the simple differentiation between mobile homes and land. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss why it’s really all about the land, and that’s what makes mobile h...

There’s a time to sell and a time to buy. And that time to buy is called “the window of opportunity”. So what’s keeping that window open in the mobile home park business, when the apartment and single-family home niches are exhausted? In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss the window of opportunity in buying mobile home parks at attractive prices, and what continues to pro...

The mobile home park industry has adopted weak guidelines of ratings – none of which is embraced in a cohesive manner – and mobile home parks basically fall into two camps: 1) upscale retirement communities and 2) everything else. Long gone is the star system in any reasonable application. But is a two-party system enough? In this Mobile Home Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss the concept that...

The media will tell you that mobile home park residents are “trapped” in their homes. The truth is the exact opposite. The bonds that produce an average tenancy of 14 years are forged by the love of the product, not boundaries. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to explore the truth behind the myth that customers are “chained to the Waffle House booths”, and explore what makes th...

The recent spaceflight of William Shatner – broadcast live – demonstrated how mobile home park turnarounds work. Just like a rocket it comes in a series of stages with tangible transitions. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast episode we’re going to discuss what these stages are, how they work, and what the positive gains are to residents from these boosts in their quality of life.

At the same time that mobile home prices from the manufacturers have risen to the highest levels in American history, RV ownership in the U.S. has also hit record levels and many of these owners are not using them for travel but for permanent residency. In this episode of Mobile Home Park Mastery, we’re going to discuss the potential to fill vacant mobile home park lots with RVs, and why that’s go...

Each season has its own challenges when you own a mobile home park, and winter is no different. With the arrival of the holiday season comes new responsibilities and strategies to make your community in good operational condition. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to review the items all park owners need to accomplish before the snow begins to fall.

The “hard infrastructure bill” has now been signed into law. This bill is very geographic-specific, and many people have not through who the winners and losers actually. Some may be surprised at the new hot markets created by this democratic initiative. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to take a look at who the big beneficiaries are of this bill and why this does a lot to bring...