The May 2020 Commercial Real Estate Investing Newsletter

Stacked Signs: A Primer

What’s better than one billboard? Sometimes the answer is two. “Stacked” billboards – like the one shown above – are a common sight on some sections of highway in the U.S. But why aren’t all signs “stacked”? And what are the things to watch out for with these unusual units?

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What Effect Will The Next Recession Have On Mobile Home Parks?

Many economists predict the next U.S. recession to begin in 2021. Even if that date is incorrect, it’s a certainty that there will be another recession in the near future. It’s been 12 years since the Great Recession and economic cycles are a part of American (and world) history. So what will be the impact of the next recession on the mobile home park industry?

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Taking a Healthy Assessment of RV Park Supply in the U.S.

When you’re trying to buy an RV park, it seems like they are a scarce commodity. When you are trying to sell one you think they’re everywhere. The truth is somewhere in the middle. However, there are many outside observers who have a vested interest in convincing you of these polar opposites. So what’s the truth about RV park supply in the U.S., and what does it all mean?

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Mobile Home Park Mastery Podcast: Episode 145 - The Top 7 Deal Killing Hurdles - Part I

Webster’s Dictionary defines a “hurdle” as “an obstacle or difficulty”. We’ve all seen runners in races going over hurdles of various heights – some successfully and others not. So what are the “Top 7 Deal Killing Hurdles” that mobile home park buyers have to navigate to successfully invest in affordable housing?

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Are You Ready For The "Silver Tsunami"?

“Baby Boomers” are the generational term for those born between 1946 and 1964 – one of the largest population segments in the U.S. The impact of the Baby Boomers has been felt throughout the American economy for decades, propelling any item that was in demand to this group to record-setting levels of sales and usage. And the aging of the Baby Boomers is about to result in what is now called the “Silver Tsunami” in single-family housing. Here’s an interesting article to read [INSERT LINK HERE]

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The Moral: Don't Follow The Herd

Self-storage REITs (the backbone of passive investment in the storage sector) have been taking major hits recently due to faulty strategies and overzealous building. The disappointments will continue forward for the foreseeable future.

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The Basics Of Winning At The Billboard Game

Monopoly has been a popular board game since 1935. Most every American knows how to play it, as well as the steps you need to take to win at the game (buy land pieces, build houses and hotels, collect rent, etc.). Really, most every endeavor in life is kind of like a board game: there are rules and you have to know how to play and what the ways to win are. And billboards are no different. Here are the basic steps to win at the billboard business.

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What Do RV Park Owners Worry About - And How Do They Mitigate It?

Owning an RV park can be a great experience, but just like any endeavor there are risks to consider. Despite the strongest RV sales in U.S. history – and many more years of strength projected – there are things to be concerned about. So what do RV park owners worry about? And how do they protect against these issues?

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Everything You Need To Know About Covid-19 And Mobile Home Parks

The biggest topic in America right now is the impact of Covid-19 on our economy. As a result we are hosted a thorough discussion of the pandemic and how it is impacting (or not impacting) the mobile home park business. We go to go over both the macro and micro levels of the industry to illuminate the good and bad aspects economically, as well as predictions for the future.

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Mobile Home Park Mastery Podcast: Episode 144 - Important Quotes, Sayings, Stories And Jokes

The mobile home park industry is filled with a number of time-proven mantras. It has benefitted from various high-profile players that are often quoted in the media, as well as affiliated stories from other sectors of real estate that have remarkable overlap. The sum of this body of work is the collective wisdom of many who have gone before, as well as those who are still an active part of the industry. In this episode of Mobile Home Park Mastery, we’re going to review many of these items and what they mean to all park owners and operators.

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Negotiation Tips On Buying A Storage Facility

Webster’s Dictionary defines “negotiation” as “to obtain or bring about by discussion”. That’s one way to describe it, as a frank discussion between buyer and seller in which they give their opinions on value and search for an appropriate middle ground. But there is also a strategy involved by the buyer that helps to make that successful ending possible.

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The Dangers Of Digital

Digital may be the future for media products – but is it a good idea for billboard signs? That’s a question that every billboard owner and builder wonders from time to time. Here are our thoughts on digital billboards at the moment.

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Experimenting With Road Surfaces And Parking Pads

A road is just a road, right? Wrong. The type of road surface you use in your property will influence a number of factors including potentially the cap rate, lender interest, future buyer interest and customer satisfaction. It’s important that every park owner match the type of road to their goals and budgets, and the universe of options is growing as new types of road construction are tested. So what are the considerations?

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RV Parks and COVID-19: Opportunities and Problems

RV parks have been around for 100 years, but they have only been subjected to the Covid-19 pandemic for a couple months. And in just that short amount of time there are some observations that are of importance to both current owners of RV parks as well as potential buyers. So what are some of the opportunities and problems presented by Covid-19 regarding RV park investing?

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Mobile Home Park Mastery Podcast: Episode 143 - Highlights From The New York Times Backstory

In 2014 the New York Times brought out a huge story about Frank & Dave and their success in building one of the largest mobile home park portfolios in the U.S. They even declared that Frank & Dave are the “best thing going in affordable housing when the nation’s need for low-cost places to live has never been greater”. But what else did the writer, Gary Rivlin, find in his research about the industry. In this episode we’re going to review the discussion we had with Gary after the article came out, and share some quotes of his opinions on what we do and how we do it. Since the New York Times is known to not typically be pro-business, there are certain strengths to the mobile home park industry that converted even a self-professed antagonist to be a big fan of “trailer parks”.

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Mobile Home Park Mastery Podcast: Episode 142 - Critical And Trivial Dates In Mobile Home Park History

We all know that Columbus discovered America in 1492, and that America declared independence in 1776. But do any of us know the interesting dates in mobile home park history? In this episode of the Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast series, we’re going to review these important dates and their relevance to this unique affordable housing product. While it’s unlikely that any high school will ever require knowledge of these moments in order to graduate, that doesn’t mean that smart mobile home park buyers and owners should not be fully fluid in these historic moments.

Listen To Episode 142