Terminology Tuesday - Purple Power

(Note: I think it's important to know the terminology and words used when learning any new business including mobile home investing. I came up with 'Terminology Tuesday' as a way to go over the terminology used in the mobile home business. It's important to know the terminology when talking to people in the business so you're all on the same page).


According to Aiken Chemical:

"This versatile cleaner and degreaser is effective on a wide variety of surfaces. The concentrated formula penetrates grease, oil and dirt on contact, then it creates a barrier between the stain and the surface. In just seconds you can wipe away even the toughest stains."

Definition Source Link

Since I work mostly high end parks due to this experience, I've mentioned in the past (such as in this post) that I rarely sell homes in "as-is" condition.

In my experience, most buyers who are looking for a home in these types of parks want everything pretty much fixed up. So, I usually have to get these homes in pristine condition before they are put on the market.

(Note: Here is where my style differs from Lonnie's - I usually don't sell "as-is" while he typically does. It's just a matter of personality and the types of parks and clientele you want to work with. In many cases, I've found the park as well as the condition of the home attract a certain clientele. Again, it's all a matter of personality and comfort level).

After I buy a mobile home, I do a complete walk through of the home noting what is needed to be fixed up to get the home in marketable condition. From the moment I walk in, I look at it as if I am the buyer - I have to put a new hat on and get myself into a "homeowner" type of mentality.

When going through the home, I think to myself - "If I were a potential buyer, how would I like this home to be fixed up and what types of things would I notice?"

In my cases, the home will need to be cleaned. There are 2 major things involved. First, the home itself (inside and outside). And, second the floor.

If the home on the inside is more of a "light" cleaning job, then I do the work myself. When I say "light, " I mean it doesen't need that much cleaning - just a spruce up here and there. And, also some vacuuming (if there is carpet and is not very dirty).

However, if the home on the inside needs more of a "heavy" (in the business they refer to it as a "deep clean") cleaning job then I end up bringing in a professional cleaning company.

(Note: In my experience if the previous homeowners were smokers and/or had pets usually the home will require a "deep cleaning").

I work with professional cleaning companies (commercial grade) if a "deep cleaning" is necessary - they are essential members of my team.

When working with professional cleaning companies, I've found most limit their usage to only 1 or 2 main products. I've learned from them that many of the cleaning products out there are really not all necessary to have when cleaning.

(Note: For those interested, a lot of cleaning products are just additional product lines. What I've learned is that it's not necessary to have one cleaning product for the kitchen, one for the bathroom, one as a degreaser, etc. It can all be done with fewer products).

One of the "secrets" I've learned in the cleaning business has been this product, "Purple Power." Basically, "Purple Power" can typically clean most anything. One of my cleaning crews uses this product for all their cleaning jobs - it's the only product they use. And, it works.

In one of the homes, my cleaning crew actually dipped the existing mini blinds in "Purple Power" to save me money (I had no idea they did this until afterwards) and all of a sudden the smoke stains came out - it looked brand new. I was baffled and amazed at the same time.

Personally, I've used it myself on light cleaning jobs such as this one - it worked great!

(Note: When using "Purple Power," I've had to be really careful as it's very concentrated and needs to be diluted. I used it to wipe up some cabinets. What I've learned after wiping the cabinets down, is that I need to go over it again with water as not to stain them. What ended up happening was that I wiped all the cabinets with "Purple Power" (diluted) and some of them stained a bit - I should have wiped them down in sections. Though, I was able to remove the stains with a good water wipe down).

Typically, I've been able to find "Purple Power" at Wal-Mart. It's a very good product and very affordable. Compared to Simple Green (which I like using as well), it's much more cost efficient.

(Note: In Germany, I learned that many professional cleaning companies use vinegar as their main cleaning product. I had no idea, pretty interesting!)

I hope this "Terminology Tuesday" post has helped to give you some insight on the cleaning process I use to get mobile homes in marketable condition.

Happy investing!

p.s. Feel free to leave comments on any post either here and/or my Facebook Page. Comments are always welcome, thanks for reading!