Mobile Home Fix and Flip

Mobile Home Fix and Flip

Investor · Columbia, SC · Member since 2020 · 29 posts · 8 votes

Investment Info:

Mobile home fix & flip investment.

Purchase price: $39,000
Cash invested: $100,000
Sale price: $190,000

Our most recent flip in Shingle Springs, CA that we took down to the studs and built a luxury dream home in its place. The entire project from start to finish took 11 weeks with a team of 2 contractors. Below is a link to some before and after photos taken from the same spot and the same angle 11 weeks apart:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/B7c3mAsAq6BZib4r5

What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

We have found a lot of success in the past two years fixing and flipping mobile homes in parks for a profit. We originally stumbled upon this idea almost by accident, and quickly realized there is a largely underserved market in which our style and expertise fit right in.

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

We started out working with a realtor (not common for us, but we were in a new place and wanted to leverage all the help we could get) who introduced us to the park this property was in. She did not end up finding us this deal as she was solely working off the MLS, but while driving through the park this particular home caught our attention and we reached out to the HCD to inquire about its condition. We were able to negotiate a great purchase price as the seller was in "distress"

How did you finance this deal?

We began to network with lenders in the area and found a private money lender who agreed to give us 90% LTV on the purchase of the property, and we funded the rehab costs with a line of credit.

How did you add value to the deal?

We essentially stripped the property down to the studs and focused a large chunk of our rehab budget on the structural and essential aspects (roof, HVAC, drywall, siding, plumbing, electrical, etc.), and put the rest of our money to work on opening up the floor plan and adding aesthetically pleasing features to the space.

What was the outcome?

We were very pleased with the speed in which we were able to finish the project (11 weeks), as we had a great team of contractors alongside us. We were also fortunate to have received a full price cash offer within the first 30 days our property was back on the market, which ultimately created a new comp for the neighborhood. All in all, it could have been a risky investment, but we did our due diligence and it paid off!

Lessons learned? Challenges?

Extreme heat waves, COVID, and Northern California fires were some of our greatest challenges to say the least that impacted different aspects of our rehab and selling process. Our biggest lesson learned during this project was the importance of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each contributing person of our team in order to execute future projects more efficiently.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Our partners on this particular project have asked to remain anonymous.

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  • San Antonio, TX · Member since 2009 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    @Quynn Costello Great to hear about your mobile home fix and flip! Especially in CA. Sounds like having a good team of contractors helped to get the job done quickly. Not a bad payday. And yes, it does sound like you had a lot of challenges in addition to COVID-19. Thanks for sharing! 

  • Real Estate Agent · Durham, NC · Member since 2020 · 16 posts · 4 votes
    6y

    I just viewed your pics!  WOW!  That is amazing!  I would really like to have parks like that here in NC.  I thought they would be a great affordable housing option!

  • Jo-Ann LapinPro Member
    Loan Officer · Tustin, CA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 713 votes
    6y

    What a great niche you found . Thanks for sharing . The manufactured/ mobile in my humble opinion is underserved . Our real estate flippers have done very well with flipping / rehabbing/and holding mobiles. 

  • Investor · Columbia, SC · Member since 2020 · 29 posts · 8 votes
    6y

    @Rachel H. Thank you so much for your kind words! Yes, having a great team of contractors was our golden ticket to making this a success and we hope to continue with them! Can’t wait to see all of your real estate success as well!

  • Investor · Columbia, SC · Member since 2020 · 29 posts · 8 votes
    6y

    @Michele Meece thank you so much! We really enjoyed the process and seeing the end result side-by-side like that is always fun. I would say you actually might have parks like that in NC, they just might be hiding a little. We thought the same thing about Sacramento and then ended up stumbling on a park in a city where there is a large senior community retiring and downsizing out of their mansions (literally), and they don’t want to leave the city. There are gems like that everywhere, it just takes a little “ears to the ground” and persistence but I bet you will find it! 😁

  • Investor · Columbia, SC · Member since 2020 · 29 posts · 8 votes
    6y

    @Jo-Ann Lapin Thank you so much! We feel very fortunate to have stumbled upon this discovery of mobile home fix & flips, and although we are primarily flipping in parks for the time being we are definitely looking into pursuing this method with manufactured homes on land. We feel this is a better business model for buy and hold, while the parks offer an better opportunity for buy and sell 😊

  • Real Estate Agent · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2015 · 338 posts · 135 votes
    6y

    Nice project and great outcome for a mobile home.   Curious do you know the rough price difference between what you spent on the rehab vs buying a new mobile home similar to yours?

  • Contractor · Placerville, CA · Member since 2019 · 85 posts · 66 votes
    6y

    @Quynn Costello looks great nice job! This niche is promising...especially in the foothills

  • Investor · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2016 · 96 posts · 41 votes
    6y

    Nice job on the rehab.  Does the price also include the land or just the mobile home?  What is the size of the mobile home?  It looks to be quite large.

  • Investor · Columbia, SC · Member since 2020 · 29 posts · 8 votes
    6y

    @Derek Jones that’s a great question, and in fact another viable business model in this market! In general, a new mobile home that would be similar to this one could run about 90k-120k. The biggest difference would be in the custom features such as the shower and faucet fixtures, and the front deck/awning we added. Those are not things that come standard in a new mobile home off the dealer lot but create more of an incentive for buyers (and even investors) in our market. Here in CA we have found a unique opportunity in the senior community in which they are currently downsizing from their large homes with lots of equity, and want to remain in the same city. By updating these mobile homes more custom “residential” touches, we have really captured their attention. In another market, however, I would say that relocating (or discarding of) the old mobile home and putting a brand new one in its place would be a more viable and efficient business model, especially if you can buy the older one at the right price! Sorry if this was way too much information, but I thought it was a great question and love talking about these opportunities! 😁

  • Investor · Columbia, SC · Member since 2020 · 29 posts · 8 votes
    6y

    @Alan Fortin thank you so much!! I absolutely agree, there is a unique opportunity here and we are anxious to see how this can pan out on a larger scale in other states/markets as well

  • Investor · Columbia, SC · Member since 2020 · 29 posts · 8 votes
    6y

    @Dave Peterson thank you so much! This particular home is located in a park, so the land is rented. Also, I find that as a huge compliment that you say it looks large from the photos because it is actually 960 square feet! Especially where we did this flip, that number alone tends to be a huge turnoff to a buyer. Because of this, our main objective was to open up the space and really maximize the space we had to work with to make this a viable option for anyone! Thank you for the feedback 😁

  • Jo-Ann LapinPro Member
    Loan Officer · Tustin, CA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 713 votes
    6y

    Yes I agree . We have been funding fix and flip and buy and hold on manufactured and modular for years and our real estate investors cash on cash often have done better than stick  built . I have to say that the wear and tear on the product itself is a factor not to be discounted .

  • Investor · Columbia, SC · Member since 2020 · 29 posts · 8 votes
    6y

    @Jo-Ann Lapin I totally agree! Funny thing, I actually came across you and your partner a few days ago while looking for hard money lenders who include mobile homes in their portfolio, and I could see all the signs of success among you and your clients! For now, my partner and I are focusing on MH on rented land but would definitely be interested in discussing a future opportunity to work with you both on a project that includes some land! Would you consider lending out of state?

  • Jo-Ann LapinPro Member
    Loan Officer · Tustin, CA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 713 votes
    6y

    Happy to set up a time to speak. We currently only serve the state of California

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