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.
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 rise and fall of mobile home dealers and what the future might hold for them.
Listen To Episode 140“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. In this edition of Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss the cage fight of these two acronyms and why the victor is probably “GUMBY” which stands for “Give Up on My Back Yard”.
Listen To Episode 139The 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 why it has nothing to do with stock market speculation.
Listen To Episode 138There’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, 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 just one.
Listen To Episode 137Are 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.
Listen To Episode 136Opportunity 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.
Listen To Episode 135All 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.
Listen To Episode 134In 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 vs. the modern equivalent. Come see how times have changed (and for the better).
Listen To Episode 133There’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?
Listen To Episode 132We 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 in America.
Listen To Episode 131Film 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 involved, there are certain moments when being an independent thinker pays big dividends.
Listen To Episode 130Sometimes 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.
Listen To Episode 129The 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 podcast interesting.
Listen To Episode 128Rodney 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 standing.
Listen To Episode 127Between 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 impact on markets and mobile home parks going forward. As you’ll see, a megatrend of this size will have certain casualties and you want to make sure that you are on the right side of this potential calamity.
Listen To Episode 126Television 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.
Listen To Episode 125The 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 are going to predict the key issues of affordable housing in this very important year. We hope you enjoy this episode and would like to take this opportunity to you a Happy New Year!
Listen To Episode 124Mobile 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 forge a healthy balance between making money and making customers happy.
Listen To Episode 123We have long said that today’s mobile home park owner is often in the business of “bringing old properties back to life”. We frequently take huge risks, inject capital to repair or replace infrastructure, and raise rents to make economic sense of it all. And mobile home park owners are often highly criticized by the media and even city hall regarding these rent increases without any acceptance of the fact that it’s 100% justified. So it seems almost comical that nobody has bothered to spotlight the fact that the nation has a $2 trillion infrastructure repair and replacement problem and that it will forever change tax rates, water and sewer rates, and every other monthly cost for all Americans. In this edition of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series, we’re going to discuss what appears to be another
Listen To Episode 122Some people equate mobile homes with automobiles, with an attitude that you just trade them in for a newer model periodically. But does that make any financial sense? In this episode of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast, we’re going to explore the truth about old homes, their life expectancy, how to prolong it, and when to decide if an old home should be scrapped. As you’ll see, there’s much more to consider than you might expect.
Listen To Episode 121Due to mismanagement and lack of vision, many American mobile home parks suffer from extreme vacancy. But is there opportunity with 50% occupied parks? In this edition of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series, we’re going to explore the issue of parks with huge vacancy challenges and decide whether the glass is half empty or half full – or both.
Listen To Episode 120What does the mobile home park industry have to be thankful for in 2019? In this episode of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series we’re going to explore what the positive factors for the industry are in 2019.
Listen To Episode 119The U.S. is in an epic affordable housing shortage. Some people cannot afford even to live in a mobile home park, despite its low cost. So where can they go? Politicians say that building truly affordable housing is an impossible task. That’s nonsense. In this edition of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series, we’re going to explore the exact ways that insanely affordable housing could be created in the U.S. for those who cannot fit into traditional housing metrics. Sure, it would take some outside-the-box thinking and some variances from building codes, but there’s no way that a country that put a man on the moon cannot provide housing for all Americans regardless of income.
Listen To Episode 118So you’re looking at buying a mobile home park but the numbers and price just don’t equate. Some deals – as a last resort – can be solved with creative debt construction. But how does that work? In this week’s edition of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series we’re going to focus on making deals happen with debt as the tool to tie the numbers together. You’ll see that there’s still hope for some deals if you can piece together an attractive debt structure.
Listen To Episode 117There is probably no greater way to destroy a conversation than to say “I own a mobile home park”. It typically triggers a negative response that is typically reserved for violent criminals or wearing a Green Bay Packers shirt to a Cowboys game. But why is that? In this episode of the Mobile Home Park Mastery Podcast series, we’re going to review the types of reaction you get by admitting you own a park, as well as the root cause of these responses. As you’ll see, there’s a whole host of reasons that most Americans have a very poor opinion of the mobile home park industry – and all completely unjustified.
Listen To Episode 116