Welcome to the Mobile Home Park Mastery Podcast where you will learn how to identify, evaluate, negotiate, perform due diligence on, finance, turn-around and operate mobile home parks! Your host is Frank Rolfe, the 5th largest mobile home park owner in the United State with his partner Dave Reynolds.
Creativity is defined as “the use of imagination or original ideas” – and that’s a great tool in forging some mobile home park deals. But there are limits on what you can do with creativity. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to review what you can and cannot fix with your inner Picasso, and some tips on staying out of trouble with your custom creation.
Listen To Episode 258Life is all about making decisions. And if you can’t make good decisions quickly you’re going to miss out on a sea of opportunities as well as make those around you frustrated and lose confidence in your abilities. So how do you make fast and effective decisions? In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to review some methodologies to help you make good choices in a reasonable time frame.
Listen To Episode 257Housing is getting more expensive. The old saying “you’re either growing and changing or your dead” is true for places we live, as well. And that’s OK. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss how housing is changing, how it displaces customers, how mobile home parks are not immune to this metamorphosis, and why that’s just a natural part of life.
Listen To Episode 256While most mobile home parks are purchased from long-standing mom and pop owners, sometimes parks come on the market that have only been owned by the sellers for a matter of months or a few years. And this can cause a level of concern with the buyer – and rightfully so. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to examine why the length of time the seller has owned the property can be a concern and how to mitigate those reservations.
Listen To Episode 255Mobile homes may all look similar to the average American, but to the successful park owner, there is a considerable difference between them – and it almost all revolves around age. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast, we’re going to examine what you can tell about a mobile home simply from its age and what the key attributes are to focus on when buying and renovating used mobile homes to fill lots or simply pass judgment on park-owned homes you already possess.
Listen To Episode 254In a society that has completely lost the concept of accountability, mobile home parks stand out as a perpetual experiment into the necessity of structure. Mobile home park owners have been using a “tough love” stance to keep their properties in good running order and to foster an environment in which the average resident stays in their home for around 15 years. But how do they accomplish this? That’s the focus of this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast, and it could not be more timely in an America that is running amok.
Listen To Episode 253One of the best methods to approach maximizing the performance of a mobile home park investment is to refinance it and do a “cash-out”, which means a return of some or all of your initial capital. But many people fail to grasp the science behind this alternative, and the thresholds required to make it a reality. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to facts from the myths regarding this financing trick.
Listen To Episode 252America is entering a terrible recession. But there is no benefit to giving in to the negative atmosphere. Instead, you should view every economic decline as an important opportunity and harness your positive energy to take advantage of the situation. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to look at case studies of how others have profited from recessions and why a positive attitude is one of your best tools to succeed.
Listen To Episode 251Mobile home park owners and residents need each other. There are strong bonds when a community owner does the right things, but the resident has to do their part, too. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to examine the relationship between park owners and customers and how to make it even better – even how to bring back from the brink the errant resident.
Listen To Episode 250America has lost its focus on accountability and the results have been astoundingly awful. If you want your mobile home park to hit your budget and even exceed your expectations, it’s imperative that you hold your manager accountable. But how do you do that? In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to review the top ten ways to gain accountability with your manager. Most of these methods rely on technology and not on heavy investments of time and money.
Listen To Episode 249The Biden administration is trying to push the narrative that the mobile home park industry might be the savior to the affordable housing crisis. Some of these initiatives have potential and others are just the same B.S. in new packaging. Who are the winners and losers in these proposed changes to everything from building codes to home financing? That’s the focus of this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast.
Listen To Episode 248I 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 home parks are still in the hands of moms and pops, why is this not readily apparent? That’s the topic of this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast in which we examine why the opportunity is bigger than meets the eye and what you have to do to tap into it.
Listen To Episode 247There 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.
Listen To Episode 246Mobile 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 help eradicate it.
Listen To Episode 245Between 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 is in crisis.
Listen To Episode 244What 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.
Listen To Episode 243Many 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.
Listen To Episode 242One 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 true.
Listen To Episode 241If 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 about getting that phone line answered and answered properly.
Listen To Episode 240In 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 a sweat.
Listen To Episode 239The 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 events are, why they work so well, and how it’s time to put one in your schedule.
Listen To Episode 238After 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.
Listen To Episode 237Choosing 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.
Listen To Episode 236After 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.
Listen To Episode 235The 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 owner is not focused on this concept.
Listen To Episode 234