alexmorrow
02-02-2008, 04:32 PM
So over the past few days, I've been running around like a madman visiting parks and building relationships with park managers. It's been nuts! I swear I must have visited at least 7 parks in the past two days. Here's a tip. Call the park before you visit to find out if it actually is located where Google Maps says it is. Google Maps has burned me twice now on directions to mobile home parks. Oh well! It's part of the learning process right? Any way, on Thursday I visited a couple of parks (one I had already been to) to see if there were any homes for sale and to speak with the park managers/owners. All these parks are located in rural areas in northern Colorado so the chances of an investor being in them are slim to none. The first park(s) I visited are my favorite to go to because I get along so well with the managers there. That day, I ended up teaching one of the park managers how to drive traffic to her personal website and about affiliate marketing. What are the odds of that? That day, she provided me with a deal that could have been good IF the owner would have lowered the price on her mh. However, they would rather have it sit out in the middle of nowheresville than take a loss and have it off their hands. Oh well, what ya gonna do? When one deal dies, another one is born. This is where Jim is 100% right on park managers. Most of them DO get treated like crap, so treat them like GOLD! Before I made it up to the park, I picked up 1/2 dozen bagels and some cream cheese and gave it to her when I saw her. It was a little token of my appreciation that she passed along a deal that she could have chosen to take instead.
1/2 dozen bagels and cream cheese = $7
Long-term trustworthy relationship with park manager = Priceless
Maybe I should write a blog that tracks my road to mh investing. Any way, I talked with that park manager, Barbara, for a long time and then went on to see the other park managers. In that particular park, she has a lot of empty spaces but not many homes for sale. However, if Barbara hears of a home that might be for sale or an abandoned one, I know that she will DEFINITELY give me a call. I think I still have that sweet, young, boyish charm ya know? We trust each other and that's what is important. I think she sees me as another grandson of hers potentially. I treat her good, she treats me fantastic.
I visited the other park managers of the nearby parks (there are 4 just right next to Barbara's).
After I left those parks, I went to a park that was either a 4-5 star park. It had a lot of nice amenities. I spoke to the managers for quite awhile but I felt like I was killing her because she was just getting over bronchitis. She was coughing up a storm. Any way, there wasn't much for sale in her park and they primarily only wanted me to bring homes into their park, not buy them. Also, here's the killer. They bought homes from sellers in their parks and financed them. It's best to find a park that doesn't finance their homes because then you'll be their only solution if someone comes by and can't afford to pay all of it at once. I'll keep in touch with them, but I've decided to focus on the parks that don't really have financing options for buyers.
1/2 dozen bagels and cream cheese = $7
Long-term trustworthy relationship with park manager = Priceless
Maybe I should write a blog that tracks my road to mh investing. Any way, I talked with that park manager, Barbara, for a long time and then went on to see the other park managers. In that particular park, she has a lot of empty spaces but not many homes for sale. However, if Barbara hears of a home that might be for sale or an abandoned one, I know that she will DEFINITELY give me a call. I think I still have that sweet, young, boyish charm ya know? We trust each other and that's what is important. I think she sees me as another grandson of hers potentially. I treat her good, she treats me fantastic.
I visited the other park managers of the nearby parks (there are 4 just right next to Barbara's).
After I left those parks, I went to a park that was either a 4-5 star park. It had a lot of nice amenities. I spoke to the managers for quite awhile but I felt like I was killing her because she was just getting over bronchitis. She was coughing up a storm. Any way, there wasn't much for sale in her park and they primarily only wanted me to bring homes into their park, not buy them. Also, here's the killer. They bought homes from sellers in their parks and financed them. It's best to find a park that doesn't finance their homes because then you'll be their only solution if someone comes by and can't afford to pay all of it at once. I'll keep in touch with them, but I've decided to focus on the parks that don't really have financing options for buyers.