Articles

Mobile home parks sometimes come with the strangest assets. I have wound up as the owner of everything ranging from used car lots to commercial laundries, and from apartments to single-family homes. How does this happen?

Most mobile home park owners tend to amass a portfolio of several parks, simply because, after acquiring the skill sets, it seems wasteful not to buy "just one more". But, in reality, they only need to buy one mobile home park to be set for life. How can this be?

Our industry continues to be plagued by declining sales of new manufactured homes going into mobile home parks and communities nationwide.

With the national economy in free fall, and millions of jobs being cut across all industry segments, many people are trying to formulate a plan to replace their income if they get laid off. And to many people, that income can approach $100,000 or more.

Just about anybody who watches late night TV, or receives email, or reads, knows that there are hundreds of people promoting concepts to make money in single family homes.

At the end of the 1990's, with new manufactured home sales roaring past 400,000 units per year, community owners felt like part of a giant machine, in which their role was to provide continually available lots to retail dealers.

The city of Aiken, South Carolina has relaxed the standards on the age of homes that can be brought into the city. The ordinance has been amended from "no home over 20 years of age" to "no home built before 1976".

When you hear the words "mobile home", what do you immediately think? Hillbillies with rebel flags in their windows? The show COPS? Sure, that's the stereotype, but the truth is that a huge number of Americans- about 20 million of them- live in mobile homes.

When you write about mobile home park returns you always run the risk of being branded a liar, as nobody believes that you can make 20% plus returns on anything anymore.

Do men and women see things differently? At least on the topic of retirement, the answer may be yes. A recent study commissioned by Ameriprise Financial reveals that gender may play a significant role in how we feel about and prepare for this major life event.