When assessing a market for mobile home park investments, many investors turn to BestPlaces.net and similar resources to examine population growth statistics. A city with a rising population might seem like a sure bet, but that’s not always the case. Take Austin, Texas, which has grown exponentially over the years. Meanwhile, Charleston, South Carolina, known for its strong mobile home park market, doesn’t exhibit the same growth trajectory. Yet, despite the contrast, both cities maintain substantial housing demand.

Business schools, like Harvard, focus on analyzing models that deliver consistent profitability, long-term value, and alignment with broader economic trends. Although there isn't an RV park case study from Cambridge yet, it's safe to say that RV parks—as an investment—would capture their attention. Let's explore why.

What happens when a seller’s desired price doesn’t align with the financial reality of their property? A bank loan isn’t an option when the cash flow can’t support the mortgage. In situations like this, you’re left with two choices: walk away or present an alternative strategy. For properties with potential, the Master Lease with Option (MLO) can provide the solution.

Marketing experts often debate the most effective messaging for outdoor advertising. According to a Harvard Business School textbook, the most impactful words on a billboard are "Exit Now." This phrase does more than grab attention—it drives immediate action. But why does this message outperform others in the world of billboard advertising?

We all know the weak spot of apartments from a customer perspective. We are constantly reminding potential homebuyers that mobile homes 1) don't have neighbors knocking on your walls and ceilings 2) comes with a yard 3) allow you to park by your front door 4) cost about 75% less per month to live in 5) makes you an owner and not a renter and 6) offers a sense of community with more permanent residents. And that message resonates really well and results in massive amount of mobile home sales nationwide, as well as long-standing retention of existing customers (with an average length of tenancy of 14 years).

We have been talking for years about the difficulty in building new mobile home parks. However, there has been a shift in the parable of how you can get a permit to build yet still be in a desirable area. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to explore the new face of park development and why that’s a great thing for the industry.

When I went to my old banker Glenn in the 1990s with one of my early mobile home park deals he admonished me “why don’t you invest in things more respectable like office buildings?” To Glenn, mobile home parks were junky and not on the level of office buildings, which he admired. That was 30 years ago. Mobile home parks have steadily risen in value over that time while office buildings have plummeted.

Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's, was the first to explore the necessity of "riding the wave". And his lessons learned transfer well to mobile home park management. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review what he meant, how he came to form this opinion, and how all mobile home park owners and managers need to embrace this important tenet.

Most forms of commercial real estate are set in stone. You can’t easily convert a factory building into a hotel or an apartment complex into a retail strip center. However, RV parks hold the enviable ability to morph into a number of product lines based on market demand. In this RV Park Mastery podcast we’re going to explore the chameleon - like nature of real estate’s most adaptable business model.

There are too many people extolling the virtues of self-storage investing that have a stake in convincing you of false narratives. They will claim that demand is growing when, in actuality, occupancy in plunging. They will tell you that a market is "hot" when, in reality, it's a buyer's market. In this Self-Storage University podcast we're going to explore why you can't really trust anyone in the storage industry and must rely only upon what you can tangibly see or discover yourself.

Billboard revenues are increasing in the U.S., after many years of weak performance due to a number of factors including competing advertising products, Covid, and corporate distractions from marketing to such initiatives as DEI. Now, suddenly, billboard rates of return are increasing. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to explore why the sudden shift has occurred and if it's a fad or a permanent change.

Dan McDunn recently bought an RV Park in California called “Trinity Alps”. He’s agreed to film his progress during this project and we will be releasing them as regular features at RV Park University.

Small Houses Have Always Been Part of the Landscape The current fascination with diminutive living spaces often overlooks the fact that these compact residences are anything but new. Early American settlers typically called modest cabins and cottages home—far smaller than the suburban developments many of us know today. So what caused homes to grow in size over time, and why are smaller footprints coming back into favor?

Many people wonder if their current routine truly aligns with their deeper aspirations. Perhaps you crave a more flexible schedule or a healthier balance between work and leisure. Owning an RV park could be a practical way to break free from the constraints of a conventional job while still generating an income you can count on.

Auctions can offer excellent opportunities to purchase self-storage facilities at prices well below their real worth. Some investors have landed properties for about half of what they would normally cost. But these transactions also come with considerable risk. If you're planning to bid at an auction, it's essential to prepare thoroughly and understand the potential pitfalls.

Driving along the highway, it’s not uncommon to spot a billboard that looks out of place—perhaps it has mismatched poles, an odd shape, or pieces that don’t seem to fit together. These signs often carry a backstory that goes beyond simple advertising. Before investing in a billboard with unusual features, it’s wise to understand why these structures deviate from the norm.

We’re thrilled to announce a groundbreaking opportunity for our community of mobile home park owners: the Lowes Affiliate Program, brought to you by Purchasing Platform.

Many investors want to diversify their income streams into “alternative” investments, and self-storage is at the top of that pack. But their holdback is that they don’t want to physically manage it.

Most community owners raise their rents annually, and typically in the Spring. As part of that process, they often have to get new leases and rules signed. Additionally, every time you buy a new mobile home park you are going to have to get new leases and rules executed. But how do you navigate that process? In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to review the methodology to do this correctly.

The new year has arrived, bringing with it fresh opportunities and challenges. In our latest Lecture Series Event, Frank Rolfe explored the Top 5 trends—good, bad, and wildcard—that we see shaping 2025

Have you noticed how much of the data our industry uses is based on published reports from the REITs and largest owners (and the roughly 4,000 mobile home parks they represent) and the Federal Government (which owns no parks)? These stats not only inaccurately reflect the actual numbers but anyone who is an active participant in the industry quickly realizes that they are wrong because they violate the instinctual reality of what they see all around them. Let's explore some of the worst of these offenders to our collective common sense.

Much of the uncertainty in America ended with the November 5th election, and we now know who will be running things starting in 2025. But many investors don't realize that our starting point as a nation may be much different than what the media has conveyed to date. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast, we're going to review where things may really stand and what we can expect in the New Year.

When Glenhaven Mobile Home Park in Dallas joined my portfolio in 1996, I was captivated by the stories from longtime residents about its former glory. These tales were bolstered by an unexpected source: my dentist. He reminisced about living in Glenhaven during the 1950s, fresh from the GI Bill, while pursuing dental school. He described a community filled with aspiring professionals in fields like medicine and law, surrounded by British sports cars and vibrant cocktail parties. Although the only physical clues were Scottish street names and remnants of unique infrastructure like concrete pads hinting at amphitheaters, I stumbled upon a late-night movie that painted a vivid picture of the lifestyle in mobile home parks of that era. What I learned confirmed the legends.

In the RV Park universe there are basically three successful types of partners. But what are they and how do they work? In this RV Park Mastery podcast we’re going to review these three type of partnerships, discuss how you could benefit from them, and explore how to manage them successfully.

There is a lot of pain and suffering among self-storage owners that paid too much for their facility, didn't operate it effectively, bought in the wrong location, or have been obliterated by competition. These type of situations often lead to mortgage default. So you do you buy self-storage properties in default? In this Self-Storage University podcast we're going to explore how default occurs, review how it is often addressed by banks, and discuss the steps required to buy a property in default.

So the property owner wants too much ground rent. What should you do? How about just telling them the truth? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore one of the most powerful negotiating tools you have at your disposal: telling the truth in the strongest possible fashion.

In the beginning, there was land. Then people built structures on that land. And from that moment on there were two types of people: 1) owners and 2) renters. Everyone had an equal opportunity to choose which category to fall into, and they knew their decision had a myriad of ramifications. “Owners” had to commit capital, maintain the property, worry about making mortgage payments, sometimes suffer though weather damage, and generally be more responsible. “Renters”, on the other hand, shouldered no risk or effort in maintaining the structure, put up no capital to buy it, and generally had the freedom to run off whenever they chose to do so. Throughout most of American history, there was a premium paid to own (and control your own destiny) vs. renting and this ratio was about 15% more to own than to rent. However, here’s the new reality, straight out of Wikipedia:

Many people spend their lives trying to conform, aiming to fit in with the crowd. Think back to the pressures of high school and the unease of being different. This fear of standing out often extends into adulthood. Yet, when it comes to owning and managing an RV park, individuality can be one of your greatest strengths.

Trees bring undeniable beauty to landscapes. They enhance residential yards, make arboretums a pleasure to explore, and give ski resorts their iconic charm. However, in the billboard industry, trees often represent challenges rather than assets. Even the most ardent nature lovers recognize the complications trees can cause when they own or operate billboards. Here’s a closer look at how trees and billboards intersect, and what billboard owners can do to address this issue effectively.