Welcome back,
In today’s video I am joined by hard-working and active mobile home investors, Michael and Chris. This investor team started investing in mobile homes nearly one year ago. In this short 12-month time they have gone on to surpass their 2015 financial goals by $100,000+. In the past year Michael and Chris have invested in 25+ mobile homes for passive cash-flow, helping over 50 families, generating huge immediate profits and cash-flow to come. Michael and Chris do all of this… plus they allow others to purchase their cash-flowing notes for a safe 11%-15%+ return on their money.
Luckily, I was able to sit down with these two Mobile Home Formula members to discuss what is working and not working in their businesses. Michael, Chris, and I open up their business model and ask the uncomfortable questions to get to the real answers. Learn practical advice you can start using today. Watch below for tips on purchasing homes, selling notes, buying notes, staying compliant, marketing, fraud, demographics, profits, headaches, tears, and more.
Disclaimer: Whenever negotiating and originating real estate notes please follow all current Acts and Truth In Lending laws.
Please sit back and enjoy this 1-hour in-depth mobile home interview. (Keep this screen open and video playing to listen while working.)
Mobile Home Formula Questions & Topics Discussed in the Video: (Times are provided to fast-forward video if needed.)
✔ 1:15 Let’s talk numbers about your business?
✔ 2:00 What do these free homes look like?
✔ 3:00 Are you talking to other parks? Why not?
✔ 3:50 This business is simple, but certainly not easy.
✔ 4:35 Investors pulling homes from parks?
✔ 6:10 What’s your average “sold home” look like?
✔ 7:50 What has surprised you most in this business?
✔ 9:00 Who is your average mobile home tenant-buyer?
✔ 10:10 Best deal yet? (2000%+ ROI)
✔ 12:00 Why will parks give you decent homes for free?
✔ 14:07 Describe your worst deal and what happened? (76% ROI)
✔ 15:30 What mistakes did you make?
✔ 17:55 What would you tell your past self?
✔ 21:15 How much money and time should someone have to start investing?
✔ 22:54 Who are your note buyers?
✔ 25:15 What do your note buyer think when they hear “mobile home”?
✔ 28:25 What are 2 traits a successful investor must have?
✔ 29:35 What are your backgrounds?
✔ 32:20 Talk about your 1st mobile home deal?
✔ 35:41 What is the Paradise Trails story?
✔ 43:08 What if the tenant-buyers default and stop paying?
✔ 49:40 What are your goals for 2016?
Every area of the country is different. If you have specific questions about your current area please do not hesitate to get in touch with us directly.
Free Mobile Homes
Free mobile homes are not a question of if, they are only a matter of time. If you are effectively representing yourself as a helpful and dedicated mobile home investor then you may likely make friends with local park managers that will wish to help you in addition to helping their own community. By park manager selling to you and you keeping the mobile home in the park, cleaning the home, and selling to a park approved buyer the transaction is win-win-win. (Watch video for more details.)
In conclusion, it is first important to understand your local market. More specifically it is important to understand the local supply and demand of homes, sellers, and all-cash/bank approved/payment buyers locally. Once you understand your local territory it may be wise to capitalize and help* every local seller possible. (*Help each seller by providing them options, a professional opinion, and choices out of their situation.) From this point you can duplicate your efforts to dominate your market and become a well-known authority for mobile home owners, sellers, and buyers in your area. Your journey towards success is a fun, social, and active road. Remember that you only create profit for yourself when you help others first. Keep the wants and needs of others in your mind and aim to help as many buyers and sellers locally as possible.
Do you have mobile home questions? Please tell us below.
Love what you do daily,
John Fedro
support@mobilehomeinvesting.net
38 Comments
Shannon Houston
December 12, 2015Where can I get help on the paperwork for these deals? I have never purchased a mobile home?
These results are fantastic and seem too good to be true. Can I expect the same results in Salt Lake City UT? I know Vegas is likely way different.
Thank you in advance.
Regards
John Fedro
December 12, 2015Hi Shannon,
Thank you for reaching out and the quick comment. These results are very fantastic and I’m proud to say Michael and Chris have worked extremely hard this past year to obtain these goals. A quick search of Salt Lake City shows that you have over 150 parks within a short driving distance. This is more than enough inventory to create a full-time business as a mobile home investor. With that said Michael and Chris have a great position in these local parks that are just feeding them free mobile homes one after the other. While there is a chance that some local parks in Salt Lake may have dozens of free homes to give away, this is probably not the case.
With that said, free homes are inevitable when you are investing for months and years at a time. You become well known fairly quickly and if you are up to the challenge you can absolutely be given free homes that need a little or a lot of rehab. There are no cookie-cutter deals and every home and seller is quite different.
Concerning your question about paperwork. Please email me directly and I’ll be happy to educate you with regards to what paperwork is needed depending on your state. If you have never purchased a mobile home that it is first important to understand your area and who are your local sellers currently selling. I hope this helps and makes sense. Reach out to me via email and I’ll be happy to help further. If you have any further comments or questions never hesitate to reach out anytime. Keep in touch.
Talk soon,
John
Dennis
December 12, 2015Hi John
Great video interview, I am very new at MHI, where or how do I create the financing paperwork for my buyers do I have to hire an attorney to draw up a seller financing contract for each and every mobile home I sale?
secondly is it worth my time to join local real estate investor meetups? I am in New Hampshire and I cannot find a mobile home investor meetup group.
thanks for all you do.
Dennis
John Fedro
December 15, 2015Hi Dennis,
Thank you so much for commenting and reaching out concerning your questions. Concerning the paperwork you will use to sell a mobile home and finance the transaction to your end buyer, they should be handled through a licensed loan originator within your state if you plan on reselling these notes to a potential buyer. A closing attorney will be able to facilitate the transaction however if they are not a licensed loan originator they should not be a negotiating or originating any loans between you and a potential buyer. I hope this helps and makes sense.
Yes, you should definitely join as many local real estate investment clubs as possible. With that said be aware as to not spend too much money joining these clubs. There will be free clubs and once you have to pay memberships for. As long as you don’t feel the clubs are gouging you then this should be information you could learn at each group. It is not the surprise me that there are no “mobile home” specific real estate groups. You might have to get all the potential MH investors around the state to actually hold a group with enough people to be called a group. In short, there are not many of us. However a local real estate investor’s club will turn you want to other local investors that may be happy to pass their unwanted MH leads your way. I hope that helps and makes sense. If you have any follow-up questions or concerns never hesitate to reach out. Keep in touch.
Talk soon,
John
Cath
December 12, 2015I could not find anyone in my local REI club who knew of real people who buy MH notes. They knew the concept but not a single person (I’m in SoCal). Do out of state people buy the notes and how do I advertise for them?
John Fedro
December 15, 2015Hi Cath,
This does not surprise me one bit. I’m curious if you ask all these same investors if they anything about mobile home investing what they would say? My hunch is that many of these folks do not know anything with regards to mobile home or the mobile home business in general. I could be wrong however there simply are not many of us. With that said it is no surprise that many folks have never been offered or even heard of buying/selling mobile home notes for income and profit. Yes, some people from out-of-state do purchase mobile home notes if they feel the numbers are correct for their criteria. I encourage you to get in touch with traditional note buyers and ask them who they know that is actively buying traditional SFR notes. From this point you can talk to these folks and depending on the return you can provide. Keep in mind that you will have to overcome many objections as most know buyers would rather deal with single family homes versus mobile homes located in parks. However, there are pros and cons to every situation. I hope this helps and starts to point you in the right direction. Please don’t hesitate to comment back with any follow-up questions or concerns you have. Here to help.
Talk soon,
John
Robert B
December 12, 2015I have sold one double wide, and am going to be selling the one I remodeled, and live in now, soon.
Instead of doing a cash/contract sell like last time, I will be taking monthly payments for years, can you help with the contract/documenting it so I will have the amounts, and protection from missed-payments ect.
The stuff I have been through that you have put out/up has been great-thanks!
Bob
John Fedro
December 15, 2015Hi Robert,
Thanks so much for the kind words and for following along. I can help you as much as possible however I am not a licensed loan originator within your state. So with that said I cannot write secured notes for you as you may be hoping. I would encourage you to contact a licensed loan originator in your state and closing attorney that you have worked with as well. Any questions or concerns you have moving forward never hesitate to get in touch with me directly or comment back any time. Keep in touch.
Talk soon,
John
Gerald Rae
December 13, 2015Love the downside protection offered to the note buyers but could not fully comprehend the recovery process. For example, who pays for any rehab required after the tenant is evicted. Have been looking at a similar model to these guys but adding in some of the techniques offered by Mitch Stephen on note transactions and marketing to note buyers through self directed IRA vehicles.
John Fedro
December 15, 2015Thanks for commenting and following along, Gerald.
Keep in touch,
John
Mike Henninger
December 13, 2015Great video guys….It’s really exciting to see people putting this into action….I’ve had a lot of distractions that last couple of years…my own fault, but I’ve corrected them and am intent on making this a big part of my 2016….Again, great video and congrats…
Mike
John Fedro
December 15, 2015Hi Mike,
Thanks for commenting and following along. The past is just that, in the past. Moving forward I look forward to working with you and answering as many questions as you have moving forward. Keep in touch and any questions or concerns you have never hesitate to reach out. In addition we are having the 2016 goalsetting workshop Tuesday night. Check out the Facebook group for more info. Hope you can make it. Keep in touch.
Talk soon,
John
Scott T
December 13, 2015Hi John,
Besides doing the business myself. Do you have people in your group that give a steady return on mobile home notes?Not looking for big performing but small mobile home notes. I live in Sacramento Cal. Of course there are many parks. Until I learn how perform some notes out here I may have people that are interested in your group that have notes to sell.
Scott
John Fedro
December 15, 2015Hi Scott,
Thanks for connecting and reaching out. I apologize but your comment was a bit confusing to me. I’m not sure if you are looking for notes sellers or note buyers. If you are looking for notes to purchase then please contact Michael and Chris at the phone number and email provided in the video. However if you are looking for note buyers then I apologize I’m not able to give you any specific names or numbers interested currently. With that said if you have any further questions or concerns never hesitate to reach out. Additionally, if I do not fully answer your question please comment back or email me personally anytime. Always here to help.
Talk soon,
John
Mike Whitehead
December 15, 2015Scott, Call me I have 2 Notes for sale right now. And for the other people that you know that might be interested we can talk about a referral fee.
Mike Whitehead
725-400-8898
Bill Neves
December 16, 2015Great video. Thanks and awesome job you guys!
Kevin R
December 19, 2015Another excellent info packed video John! I’m going to contact these guys to inquire about their notes. Thank you for providing such useful content. Much appreciated!
John Fedro
December 21, 2015Hi Kevin,
Thank you for reaching out and commenting with your kind words. I’m very glad that this video case study has been helpful to you thus far. Very happy to help. I’m super proud of these guys and very much encourage you to reach out and contact them with regards to their notes. If you have any specific investing questions or concerns never hesitate to reach out to me anytime as well. Keep in touch.
Talk soon,
John
Frank B
January 8, 2016Hi John,
I currently reside in Annapolis, MD. We have a few parks within 30 miles of me. I’m curious on how to approach the park management about their homes for sale. How would you approach them to find the best deals and how would you get on their good side so they will update you? I’m looking to buy them for cheap and put a little of money into them and sell them. Let me know your thoughts on all this, thanks.
John Fedro
January 9, 2016Hi Frank,
Thanks so much for commenting and reaching out with regards your questions. The first interaction with the new park manager is absolutely a very important conversation to be had. You want to go in within approach of being humble and knowing that the only reason you are there is to make the park managers life easier. With that said please take a look at this past article and video I created on the subject. https://www.mobilehomeinvesting.net/mobile-home-park-manager-introduction/ It goes into a bit of detail however if you have more specific questions or concerns never hesitate to reach out anytime. Keep in touch.
Talk soon,
John
Lisa
January 12, 2016Great post! Thank You
Someone very curious about your system
February 22, 2016Hey I love all of the info that you have here and seriously considering trying this out. I have a question though….after watching some of your videos I (just for the heck of it) decided to get onto a classified site and look for mobiles homes. Up popped an ad giving away 4 mobile homes. I would say they are in (on a scale of 1-10….10 being great) about a 5 from the outside but I might visit the site to very the inside. The guy is ready to let them go as he cannot store them any longer. I will verify and liens or titles, etc.
What would be the best way to make a buck on these??
Thanks!!!
Me
John Fedro
February 23, 2016Hi Me,
Thanks for reaching out with regards to your questions. Congratulations on having the confidence to get out there and pull the trigger. It is absolutely free to check out what is for sale in and around your area. Be aware that some of the best deals are the ones that are not easily found online or simply by driving through the communities. With that said it absolutely sounds like these four homes may have the potential to be a decent deal. I’m curious if the seller is a private owner, dealer, or the park itself? You mentioned that the seller cannot store these homes any longer, this makes it seem as if they have a dealer’s lot in these homes simply have not sold. With that said you will never know until you actually call so by all means it would be wise to take as many pictures as you can and for a free to send them over to me if you have any specific questions or concerns.
Concerning your exit strategy, this will vary greatly depending on the homes already are inside pre-existing communities or they will have to be moved to new locations. It will also. If you are purchasing all the mobile homes at once and have to pay lot rents or if this is a deal that you will work out between the community and yourself. While these deals do seem to see, we do need to remember to know what we can resell these homes where you make any purchases. Additionally it would be wise to know what else is for sale in and around your county and the surrounding counties as well. These deals are good however there could be better once for more motivated sellers nearby.
I hope this all helps and makes sense. Either way there is much due diligence in many questions to ask before moving forward. Keep me in the loop and if you ever have any questions or concerns never hesitate to reach back out. Keep in touch.
Talk soon,
John
Tina
February 27, 2016I really loved the ex-plainer video which is highly appreciating and cool to see along with this nice piece..
John Fedro
March 3, 2016Hi Tina,
Thank you so much for reaching out and commenting. Additionally, thank you so much for your kind words. My kudos and congratulations really go out to Michael and his partners for all their hard work investing and helping local sellers, buyers, and parks nearby. I look forward to bringing you more videos like these in the near future. 🙂 Keep in touch and if you any follow-up questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out anytime. Always here to help.
Talk soon,
John
John Fedro
March 3, 2016Hi Tina,
Thank you so much for reaching out and commenting. Additionally, thank you so much for your kind words. My kudos and congratulations really go out to Michael and his partners for all their hard work investing and helping local sellers, buyers, and parks nearby. I look forward to bringing you more videos like these in the near future. 🙂 Keep in touch and if you any follow-up questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out anytime. Always here to help.
Talk soon,
John
Wendy
March 9, 2016Hi john yes great video, I’m in Cali, want to do MH, I bought one a year ago from a bank great buy I got living in it now, my question is lot rents are high in Cali in most parks so to add the cash flow would bring the cost high do t u think? Will that be a problem for me with not getting my money every month, have u done any deals in riverside California, I also sold some for people in the park but I’m not a licence dealer so I had to stop. Done all the documents, I had the opportunity to speak with Mike he has been very helpful, he to said I had to get a MLO who also has. Dealers licence to put my deals together.
What advice do u have regarding Cali or should I go Az not sure?
Thanks
Wendy
John Fedro
March 9, 2016Hi Wendy,
Thank you so much for reaching out and commenting. Please see my thoughts below in bold to your questions.
I’m in Cali, want to do MH, I bought one a year ago from a bank great buy I got living in it now, my question is lot rents are high in Cali in most parks so to add the cash flow would bring the cost high do t u think? Good question. I encourage you to invest only in mobile home communities with lot rent at $650 and below. This will allow three bedrooms and some two-bedrooms to cash flow for $300 or more per month, which is where we want to be. Will that be a problem for me with not getting my money every month, have u done any deals in riverside California, I also sold some for people in the park but I’m not a licence dealer so I had to stop. I agree that you should stop acting like a realtor or dealer if you are not licensed. With that said great job being proactive and helping these folks anyway. I am familiar with the Riverside area and do have some experience there. The prices you sell a mobile home for monthly need to be at or below comparable apartment rents. We cannot expect to overburden a tenant-buyer or make them a prisoner in their own homes. We need to make a deal win-win and as an investor we will make our money in the long run over 5 to 10 years. Does this help and make sense? Thoughts? Done all the documents, I had the opportunity to speak with Mike he has been very helpful, he to said I had to get a MLO who also has. Dealers licence to put my deals together. Your state does want you to have a dealer’s license when you purchase and resell a mobile home for profit anytime. An MLO is needed to create/negotiate secure notes and mortgages when reselling to an end-buyer that intends to live in the property.
What advice do u have regarding Cali or should I go Az not sure? Your area of California is good however the deals are spread out and scattered. In Arizona you will have a higher concentration of motivated sellers and a lower amount of cash buyers willing to overpay for mobile homes. You can absolutely make both areas work. Arizona will typically keep you busier covering the same amount of territory. I hope this helps and makes sense. If not please never hesitate to comment back or re-ask me any questions. Keep in touch.
Talk soon,
John
Corey woodruff
March 18, 2016Hey John Fedro, I have a lady that is willing to sell an older mobile home to me for 2000 one thing I noticed in my area is that other MOBIE HOMES similiar to this are selling for the same. What are you guys doing to these to make them sell for 10 to 20 thousand? Question 2 is the park this home is in says they don’t allow subleasing so what i have to do is sell the mobile home and transfer the title to the new owner and put myself as a lein holder on the title and i can do seller financing for them if I choose to. Is this how you do it when you sell the mobile home on payments? Also love your show and all your concepts awesome stuff really inspiring!!!!
John Fedro
March 19, 2016Hi Corey,
Thank you so much for reaching out and commenting. Additionally, very happy to help bring you some clarity and answer your questions. We see my thoughts below in bold.
Hey John Fedro, I have a lady that is willing to sell an older mobile home to me for 2000 one thing I noticed in my area is that other MOBIE HOMES similiar to this are selling for the same. What are you guys doing to these to make them sell for 10 to 20 thousand? This answer is a complicated one… Only because I do not know exactly what type of mobile home you are looking at and why it is priced at $2000. I hope this does not sound like me trying to brush you offer not answer the question, however there is so much information and questions I would have to ask to know more about this property, your location, and much more. With that said, if you would like to email me in detail your specific situation I would be happy to give you my thoughts and suggestions accordingly. Question 2 is the park this home is in says they don’t allow subleasing so what i have to do is sell the mobile home and transfer the title to the new owner and put myself as a lein holder on the title and i can do seller financing for them if I choose to. Is this how you do it when you sell the mobile home on payments? This is how we used to sell mobile homes on payments back in the 90s and early and middle to 2000’s. Since new seller financing restrictions and laws have come out we have changed our strategy on how we resell manufactured homes inside of communities. While you are typically allowed three owner financing deals for any consecutive 12 months that do not fall under the Dodd Frank act, you will want to be careful with your paperwork and ensure it protects all parties moving forward. After these first three homes it is important that you follow the law accordingly. I hope this all helps and makes sense. This answer is fairly vague due to the complexity of the question however I do hope it makes sense and points you in the right direction. As always, if you have any follow-up questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out anytime. Also love your show and all your concepts awesome stuff really inspiring!!!! Thank you so much for your kind words. If you have any future suggestions or topics for new videos or articles please never hesitate to reach out anytime. Keep in touch.
Talk soon,
John
Karen Hurd
March 28, 2016Hi, I did a few mobile home flips in North I am looking to do again in Florida I need the connections to get back to business. Can you guide me to someone that I can talk to. Thanks, Karen Hurd
John Fedro
March 28, 2016Hi Karen,
Thank you so much for connecting and reaching out. Congratulations on the successes you had thus far. I have no doubt that this did not come without a good deal of hard work and daily consistency. If you have any direct questions or concerns with regards to Florida mobile home investing please never hesitate to reach out to me here or email me personally anytime. Always happy to give you any answers or point you in the right direction any questions you may have. Additionally, you may want to reach out to local real estate investing clubs to find out who is investing in mobile homes locally in and around your area. These people might be helpful resources for you as well. I hope this all helps and makes sense. Always here to help. Have a great rest of the week and keep in touch.
Talk soon,
John
Bill M
April 11, 2016Hi John,
Great video and info. Where do you get a list of mobile home parks for any given area?
Thanks,
Bill
John Fedro
April 13, 2016Hi Bill,
Thank you so much for commenting and reaching out. Additionally, thank you so much for your kind words. Please see the link below with regards to an incomplete list of global mobile home parks in and around your area. Once again, this list is incomplete but should give you enough information to point you in the right direction and get started. As always, if you ever have any follow-up questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out any time. Always here to help. http://www.mobilehomeparkstore.com/mobile-home-park-directory/states
Talk soon,
John
Gilbert Fleming
May 4, 2016Thanks for answering my questions. You asked for clarification
Of my last question.
Well, a few years ago I bought a book on mobile home investing by a guy who lives in Massouri. The idea was that you buy the home cheap, and then sell it over time to a new buyer. You make a lot of money on the spread. You buy it for $5,000 and sell it for $20,000. But you are the one with the cash, so you are making this daal happen.
I visited 5 parks and talked to the managers. I told me that they would not deal with me. They only wanted owner occupants. That is it!
But you are telling me that there is a way around this? Or that some parks are open to this?
Your site has a fantastic amount of information. I am really inmpressed with this.
Can you lead me to 3 or 5 blogs, videos, interviews, etc Where you explain or a guest exlplains how to create relationships with managers and why they would deal with me, or give me free homes?
After my visit to 5 managers, I came to the conclusion that this method worked in the south, but not in california
John Fedro
May 7, 2016Hello Gilbert,
Thank you for the follow-up reply. I apologize about my slight delay in getting back with you. Thank you again for the kind words and kudos on this website. I truly hope it has been helpful to you thus far.
Great job at being proactive. Around the country we are able to work with well over 90% of mobile home parks and park managers. We make sure to correctly present ourselves and paint a clear picture of why we are there and how we can help. You must be humble and know the value that you truly bring to the park and to the park manager. When you can get this across it would be silly for park manager not to work with you.
I hope this all helps and makes a bit of sense. Thank you for clearing up your question about the blogs. Here are a couple below that may help you and point you in the right direction.
https://www.mobilehomeinvesting.net/mobile-home-park-manager-introduction/
https://www.mobilehomeinvesting.net/free-mobile-home-when-to-buy-or-pass/
As always, never hesitate to reach out any time with additional questions or concerns. Keep us posted. Always here to help.
Talk soon,
John
Amy
August 24, 2016John, a quick question for you:
An owner called me and told me that they owed some back taxes and only wanted $3k for a 2/2 1999 Mobile Home before the park evicted them for violations. I called the park manager inquiring about it and was told that I literally couldn’t purchase it myself, I would have to wait until the park acquired it and then wait to purchase it I’m assuming for a high price. 🙁 What are your thoughts on that? Looking forward to hearing from you.
Amy in California
John Fedro
August 25, 2016Hi Amy,
Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Additionally, thank you for the detailed comment as this certainly makes it easier to answer your question. I very much agree that when the park takes this home back they will try to recoup the money that is owed to them as well as a significant profit if they are smart. With that said I do not believe the park is telling you the complete truth. If the seller still controls the ownership of the home then she can absolutely sell the property to you as long as those back taxes are paid. If you did purchase the home the park would have to be paid back how much they are in default and in a perfect world they would happily continue taking your lot rent payments for the foreseeable future. However it sounds as if this park is being selfish and would like to steer you away from purchasing the home from the seller. In reality you may be able to purchase the home from the seller and repay the back amount owed to the state and the park. However it sounds as if the park managers would be upset if you did this and they may hold it against you and make your life difficult within the park moving forward. If you have not talked to the owner of the park already than I would encourage you to try to talk to the owner if at all possible. Perhaps the park manager gets a cut of the deal if she can sell it for more so may be the park owner would work out something with you more easily than the park manager would. In short, I would try to get in contact with the owner however the park manager has certainly expressed that they do not want you there at this point. I hope this makes sense and helps. If you have any additional follow-up questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out any time. Keep in touch.
Talk soon,
John
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