Where to find mobile homes for sale?

[Jason K.]

Hello, do you have any other credible website sources for MH's for sale besides mobilehomestore?

[Jefferson Lilly]

Finding MHPs can be a bit tricky, but as with most things in life, luck favors those who take action. Consider sending a post card to every MHP in your target area and following up with a call once a year. Drive the 'speed bumps' and go into those communities at least once a year to let them know you are interested in purchasing if they would consider selling.

Specific sites for deals (at the risk of them being 'shopped' and at high prices) are:
1. mobilehomeparkstore.com (note: the owner of this site competes with you and is a MHP buyer himself - but good site none the less)
2. loopnet.com
3. marcusmillichap.com

I highly recommend education prior to investment. For that:
1. mobilehomeuniversity.com
- read 'Huge Profits in Mobile Homes & Mobile Home Parks' by Ernest Tew & Steve Case
- read 'Deals on Wheels' by Lonnie Scruggs
2. mobilehomeparkstore.com
- attend one of their on-site bootcamps for a weekend of classroom learning and on-site training in a mobile home park
3. Network here, at mobilehomeuniversity.com, and in-person at your local REIA chapter in your city

As a quick freebie/tip, let me help you avoid one of the mistakes I made when I got started in the business:

I hired an off-site Manager who was very experienced in property management, but could not be on-site every day (my property was just too small to afford a full-time salaried Manager on-site, she was a stay-at-home Mom 15 miles away). While she was able to come on-site to collect rents and post late notices in a timely manner, she could not be on-site all day every day to show the mobile homes. Having the homes shown by her only one or two afternoons a week slowed down my occupancy and cash flow more than I realized at the time. I now have a person on-site who's job it is just to open the homes at 9 a.m., and close them at 6 p.m. everyday so potential residents can come on-site anytime good for them, let themselves in and look around, and fill out an application if they wish. This person is not my 'Manager,' this person is my 'Greeter.'

I know some MHP owners feel very strongly about which is best - having an on- or off-site Manager. What worked for me was to think creatively about the Manager's roles/responsibilities and to split them. Having an on-site Greeter whose sole focus is to show the homes and enable them to start cash flowing quickly, more than pays for the added costs every month ($250).

To your continued success,

-jl-