John Jacob Astor was America’s first real estate millionaire – and that was back in 1800. But much of what fueled Astor’s success still holds true today, and that’s the powerful combination of factors that makes real estate capable of creating huge returns. From leverage to security to the simplicity of the business model, real estate has been one of the main ways to create wealth in the U.S. for over two centuries. If you are looking for an investment platform that has the best odds of success, then this episode will explain the strong case for creative real estate.

Webster’s defines “creativity” as “the use of the imagination or original ideas”. And success in real estate today demands some use of creativity to get an advantage over the competition. So how do you make deals using “original ideas”? These can include a fresh approach on an old industry like AirBNB, or using an unusual structure like seller financing, or maybe paying a little extra based on the ability to immediately increase occupancy or rents by transitioning to internet marketing. If you want to get the edge on the competition, then this podcast will broaden your horizons.

How can a recent college graduate get into real estate from his coffee table and build it into a giant business? And then after selling out to a public company start from scratch and do it again? In this episode we’re going to discuss how you can get into real estate with no capital and no experience, and how that’s done every day by average people who only have in common the desire to make money. If you think that “starting from scratch and making it big” is just a fake concept from infomercials, then here are two real stories that may change your mind.

Bobby Unser won the Indy 500 three times and his favorite quote was “success is where preparation and opportunity meet” – and that’s 100% true with real estate investing just as it was with auto racing in the 1970s. All key is to figure out what the opportunity will be going forward, and then properly prepare to harness that information. America has a number of megatrends in the future, from the demand for affordable housing to the rise of a “rental nation” and the continued impact and refinement of internet possibilities – you just need to use your creative imagination.

Henry Ford once said “nothing is particularly hard if you divide it up into small jobs”. That simple theory allowed him to create the American automobile industry via the invention of the assembly line. But you can also apply this concept to investing in real estate. We’re going to discuss the small steps of choosing the right niche, learning how it works, persistently looking for deals, and all the small steps which collectively add up to the big step of successfully buying a property. If you think it’s impossible to get into real estate, you’re wrong. You just have to break it up into small action steps.

If you’re buying a mobile home to fill a vacant lot – new or used – there are a few things you have to double-check because if you make the wrong decision the damage can be in the tens of thousands of dollars. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to review those items and explore how to get them right.

Once you have set your goals in buying an RV Park it’s essential that you never relax those standards. In this RV Park Mastery podcast we’re going to explore the correct way to derive your target metrics and then the essential reasons you must never change those, regardless of events.

There are three types of sellers and only two of them typically result in a successful negotiation. In this Self-Storage University podcast we’re going to explore the different types of sellers in today’s market and rank your odds of achieving a winning deal with them.

Although a good contract sets in stone the terms of your agreement, some things should maybe not be chiseled in as hard. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the times that there should be little room to maneuver as well as when you should give yourself plenty of leeway.

The most compelling real estate transactions begin not with numbers—but with human connection. When sellers feel respected and understood, they’re more inclined to support buyers. In many cases, sellers choose someone they like—and whose goals align with theirs—over the highest dollar offer.

Not every facility manager struggles with selling, but many stumble when it comes to closing the deal. It’s one thing to get someone in the door—it’s another to have them sign the lease. Here’s a refined guide to help future investors understand how to finish strong in self-storage sales.

You’ve probably seen billboards that remind people to drive safely or not to drink and drive. These public service messages may look like goodwill, but for billboard operators, they often serve a financial purpose.

I have been harassed by the woke media for nearly 20 years for my quote that a "mobile home parks is like a Waffle House where the customers are chained to their booths". This stemmed from my explanation of why mobile home parks are a safer investment than a restaurant to a new reporter from Bloomberg. Obviously, mobile home park residents are not physically chained to their homes. But they don't move because of something much larger than a metal constraint: raw economics. There's simply nothing else they can possibly ever find in the world of housing as affordable as where their mobile home park. So even with rising lot rents, mobile home park residents stay put as mobile home parks cost around 75% less than apartment or single-family home options. And now my analogy relates to a much larger group. The entire population of the United States seems to be "chained to their booths" due to economic factors, as revealed in a new article in the New York Times.

We’ve filled over 6,000 vacant lots and homes in our own portfolio over the past decade and, as we near 100% occupancy, we’ve completely run out of vacant inventory to sell. As a result, we are looking for situations where fellow operators are facing the need to fill 20+ vacant lots and would like to hire our sales department to do so at greater speed, home expertise, and without adding any overhead.

Most mobile home park owners are good-natured people who like to be helpful. But most park manager requests for “favors” need to be avoided at all costs. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to review the typical manager requests, why they rarely work out well, and how to fend them off.

The Trump administration is proposing to take Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac public, as well as to merge them into one entity in the process. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to review why this would be a good thing for commercial real estate in general, and the mobile home park industry in particular.

The RV Park business model is based on the goal of attaining the highest occupancy and revenue possible given the existing location and structure. But not all RV Parks share the same path to achieve this noble purpose. In this RV Park Mastery podcast we’re going to explore how to expand your net income through the careful use of park models.

If you are trying to expand your self-storage portfolio, but have run into a wall called available capital, you may have looked into the Reg. D 506 structure under the JOBS Act. But a proposed change to this opportunity may yield even greater potential. In this Self-Storage University podcast we’re going to review the pending change and what the impact might be.

Whether you’re buying an existing sign or building a new one, everyone wants to avoid investing in a “loser” location. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore the attributes that have proven to be good indicators of success, as well as those that are a warning sign.

In mobile home park investing, the most costly mistakes often come from skipped steps. Good due diligence isn’t just a checklist—it’s your best protection from bad outcomes. Here’s a breakdown of what to focus on when evaluating a property.

Thinking beyond your own lifetime can be a smart move—especially if you’re investing in something as tangible and enduring as an RV park. But not every property is suited to serve multiple generations. So how do you know if what you're building today can support your family tomorrow

Most major issues in property ownership could have been avoided with a little foresight. Taking a proactive approach doesn’t just prevent legal trouble—it also saves you time, money, and stress.

For years, roadside billboards were built using multiple wooden poles. It was the standard approach, but it had serious limitations. These bulky structures required a lot of space and didn’t work well on properties that were already developed. You might get away with placing one on a vacant lot, but try adding it to a gas station or shopping center, and you’d run into problems fast.

The only in-person instruction we do is the Mobile Home Park Master Class. It’s a two-day weekend mega-immersion in the correct way to buy, turn-around and operate mobile home parks, and it happens right in Frank Rolfe’s historic dining room in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri on September 27th & 28th.

If you are looking to fill vacant lots in your mobile home park with used homes, one option that is rarely mentioned is “tax sales” stemming from unpaid property tax. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we’re going to explore how this process works in the real world and things to watch out for.