Welcome back,
In today’s Mobile Home Investing Lesson Podcast episode #30, I’m proud to welcome part-time mobile home investor and part-time single-family home investor, Garrett.
Garrett grew up around single-family home investing however is relatively new to the mobile home investing world. However, in a relatively short period of time Garrett is already building a local reputation for himself with park managers, owners, buyers, and sellers nearby.
In today’s quick 36-minute podcast listen in to a nightmare mobile home investing story from active mobile home investor, Garrett. Hear as Garrett speaks candidly about this particularly interesting mobile home deal, the awful park manager getting in the way of reselling, and what we did to overcome the situation successfully.
A special Thank you to Garrett for opening up his business on today’s Podcast.
In the podcast episode below John and Garrett cover: (Times to fast-forward if needed, however maybe listen to the whole thing.)
✔ 0:51 Was this mobile home your very first deal?
✔ 2:40 What has been your past real estate investing history and career?
✔ 3:45 Let’s talk about finding your first mobile home deal.
✔ 6:40 Purchasing a clean 2/1 mobile home in a family park for $3,000.
✔ 8:20 What repairs where needed?
✔ 8:45 Marketing and trying to resell the mobile home at first.
✔ 9:30 The trouble begins.
✔ 15:00 Were there any clues ignored when you initially met the park manager?
✔ 16:20 A blessing in disguise.
✔ 17:10 The potential tenant-buyers were all hearing lies.
✔ 18:40 Did the park manager offer any help to us at all?
✔ 24:30 Moving the mobile home to a different friendly mobile home park.
✔ 25:30 Did this new mobile home park owner offer any move-in incentives to help you pay for moving costs?
✔ 27:25 Who ended up purchasing your investment mobile home via monthly payments?
✔ 29:00 Do you plan to continue to invest within the new mobile home park?
✔ 30:30 Are you moving more mobile homes currently?
✔ 31:00 How long after you move-in a mobile home to this park will it usually be connected to utilities, repaired, and on the market for resale?
✔ 33:45 Are you planning on renting or reselling this newer mobile home for monthly payments? Why?
✔ 33:50 Any last advice for mobile home investors dealing with an awful mobile home park manager?
Spectrum of park managers
Mobile home park managers are human beings. Most mobile home park managers will fall somewhere on the “normal side” of most social personality traits. However, a very small handful of mobile home park managers will have extreme-tendencies and extreme personality traits that may make it very very difficult to work with as an active mobile home investor.
In the podcast episode #30 below, we hear about a mobile home park manager that consistently manipulate situations, cries victim, and lies directly to Garrett’s face and over the phone. This park manager has no problem lying to Garrett, Garrett’s potential buyers, other sellers in the community, and seemingly anyone else for personal gain.
Related video: How to deal with awful mobile home park managers?
Building relationships with many, many, many additional park owners & managers
In the podcast #30 below we discuss that Garrett had an exit strategy if the mobile home could not remain in the current location. This exit strategy takes the form of transporting Garrett’s mobile home into a competitor’s investor-friendly mobile home park.
In the podcast episode below Garrett discusses that this new mobile home park owner helped pay $1,500 towards Garrett’s transportation costs.
Related video: Mobile home park manager introduction
Pro Tip: Aim to learn which mobile home parks have different move-in incentives and age/exterior/size criteria before you potentially have a mobile home you may need to move into a community.
How to help weed-out malicious and sneaky mobile home park managers?
In the audio podcast #30 below, Garrett does a great job meeting with the park manager many times before he figures out she is deliberately and consistently lying directly to him and his potential buyers. The park manager is likely doing this to sabotage Garrett’s chances of selling his mobile home and hoping Garrett would simply abandon the mobile home and give it directly to the park or manager.
Use the ways below to help learn about each mobile home park & the park managers better…
✔ Meet each park manager multiple times to help confirm similar attitude and demeanor each time you meet. Consistency is good.
✔ Check Google reviews and Yelp for reviews.
✔ Ask multiple sellers and/or residents about park safety, how rules are enforcement, park flooding problems, and [the main question] about park manager issues or troubles.
Did we miss anything? Please comment below with your mobile home investing thoughts, love, and/or questions.
For everyone reading this, if you have questions, it is important to get them answered quickly and accurately. Comment below or email me directly if you have specific mobile home related questions or concerns.
Love what you do daily,
John Fedro
support@mobilehomeinvesting.net
Listen to John and Garrett’s Podcast here…
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
12 Comments
Cary Hathaway
September 12, 2019Hello John.
All of this information is wonderful. Thank you already for all of the free content you provide. I’m wondering if you could clear up something for me. I have watched many of your videos and articles which have been very helpful. It seems when there are problems with park managers in mainly is when they prevent me from reselling a home. My correct in that assumption? Are there other reasons why park managers would not be good to work with? I am sure that there are other reasons however my mind is just drawing a blank. Probably from lack of experience Ha. Thank you again.
Cary H
John Fedro
September 13, 2019Hi Cary,
Good to hear from you again. Thank you for the comment. Great questions about the park manager sabotaging your deals. As I mentioned in the article above the podcast, mobile home park managers are obviously human beings. They fall on a spectrum between terrible to mildly annoying to neutral to very helpful. The reason I may tend to focus some videos and articles on Park managers restricting who we sell to is because this is from a terrible park manager. A terrible park manager doesn’t mind sabotaging you for costing you money, time, or stress. I’m glad to say that these terrible park managers are not common. Other things terrible park managers may do is to try to sell mobile homes that they do not own, have never owned, or simply do not have legal title to. There are other situations where park managers are not terrible, however they are simply not very good at their jobs. For example in these situations the park manager may never be in the office. Or they may stand you up for multiple appointments. Or they may play favorites or judge people before truly getting to know them. I hope this helps and all make sense. Additionally, I hope this helps and answers your question. If you have any follow-up questions or concerns never moving forward never hesitate to reach out any time. All the best.
Talk soon,
John
Lauren
September 17, 2019Ahhhh, Garrett, we certainly understand your story! We may have been one of the 2 people John referenced, lol!
Looks like you are on your way now and creating great relationships in the MH space. With your experience growing up with your father and working in RE, and going into SF yourself, you have the muscle.
Onward, upward!
Lauren | Value Mobile Homes
John Fedro
September 20, 2019Hi Lauren,
Thanks for commenting! Thank for watching as well. I am so proud of you both. Great job persevering through every learning lesson and hardship. You both come out the other side far better investors. I’m glad to know you both. Keep up the great work in your area! This is just the first of many parks. Always here if you both. If you need anything never hesitate to reach out any time. Keep up the seriously great work and daily effort.
Talk soon,
John
Stephen Harsborough
September 22, 2019Dear John
Thank you so much for making me aware of this. I am new to real estate investing and this is something about mobile homes that very much I am scared about. Can you tell me ways to keep me safe from a mobile home park manager that may have it out for me. Thank you for any help.
Stephen Harsborough
John Fedro
September 25, 2019Hi Stephen,
Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Additionally, thank you for your kind words. It is good that you want to be cautious about avoiding any difficult to work with park managers moving forward. A few paragraphs below the bottom of this article I give three suggestions to meet with the park manager multiple times in order to make sure that their attitude is consistent, check Google and yelp reviews with regards to the mobile home park and mobile home park management company, and also ask sellers and neighbors how they feel about the park manager and their ethics. There are certainly other pieces of due diligence to consider however this will keep you away from the bulk of negative managers. I hope this helps and answers your question. Moving forward if you have any follow-up questions never hesitate to reach out any time. All the best.
Talk soon,
John
Marisa
September 25, 2019Thank you so much for sharing. I am afraid of something like this happening to me as well. Glad everything worked out for you both.
John Fedro
October 20, 2019Hi Marisa,
Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Situations like this definitely do happen, however they are fairly uncommon and usually contained to one or two specific parks. Moving forward please keep in touch. Always happy to help answer any questions or concerns you may have now or moving forward. If you are not sure about something feel free to comment back or email me directly. All the best. Keep in touch.
Talk soon,
John
Kath
June 3, 2020Hi John, my mother had to be put in a care center after living in her mobilehome in a mobilehome park for 20 yrs. She gifted the mobile home to my daughter. We have a title but my mom or someone wrote “Void” across it. What can we do now? Can we order a copy of title without having forms notarized? Dmv will not accept a title with void written on it.
John Fedro
June 3, 2020Hi Kath,
Thank you for reaching out and connecting. I very much regret to hear about the situation. I would encourage you to recall the state DMV and explain the situation and explain that the word void was written on a perfectly good title. If they still refuse to take this title than a duplicate title will have to be ordered. Since you are not the legal owner your mother will have to be the one to order the duplicate title most likely. You may need to get a power of attorney on behalf of your mother however the state DMV office will tell you the quickest and easiest path forward. I hope this helps and points you in the right direction.
Talk soon,
John
Zeplin Ali
July 5, 2020question John? As a mobile home investor, if i have a manufactured home dearler that is selling used mobile home between 2500-5000, which is in my price point. How should i work with them to acquire the homes to sell to a buyer. The mobile homes have to be moved to a buyers land because the homes are not inside of parks. I have had problems finding homes that are FSBO in community parks and I see this as a great outlet to acquire homes. But they must be transported to a buyers personal property? What can I do?
John Fedro
July 13, 2020Hi Zeplin,
Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Great name by the way. Great job reaching out to this dealer with the mobile homes for sale. You are certainly correct that dealers and mobile homes that must-be-moved represent a good opportunity in today’s real estate market. Since you’re dealing with the dealer I would be upfront and honest with him or her. Let the dealer know that you will be aiming to find a buyer to purchase this home. Ask that if you bring a cash buyer, will they give you a finder’s fee. Something between $500-$2000 seems appropriate. There are a number of things to consider with regards to this finders fee, getting the property under contract yourself, selling it for more if possible, keeping it for yourself once it is moved to land or nearby park, etc. However I do hope that this helps some and starts to point you in the right direction moving forward. If you have any follow-up questions never hesitate to reach out any time.
Talk soon,
John
Leave A Response