Mobile Home Repair

Here are some good books about mobile home repair. I've personally purchased both the manual and the mobile home repair guide. Both great reference books!

Cash Flow Is King

Video showing how rewarding this business can be!

Screening Buyers

Lately, I've been screening buyers. Let me tell you - it's basically the same conversation over and over again. I feel just like an answering service. Though, I've gotten better at screening and getting better at weeding them out.

When screening buyers, the first thing you have to keep in mind is your ideal buyer. What kind of buyer are you looking for? Does it matter? It really depends on your personality and who you feel comfortable with. Remember, this is like a marriage - once they're in, you're stuck with them (if you are owner financing).

Personally, I like working with good, hard-working, families. In my experience, if they know the area and are local - it's better. I'm not sure about the out of town folks. Families who live locally in the area already know what they want for themselves and their family - the area, schools, proximity to work, etc. The out of town folks may not know what they want - it may take longer. And, in this business - time is money.

So, what kind of questions should you ask when screening for potential buyers?

Well, you want to find out as much information about them as possible. Talking to people is more of an art than anything - it's not what you say but how you say it that counts. People want to be comfortable with you and need to trust you before they divulge any information about themselves. Don't come across as the business or corporate type. Believe me, in this business- it doesen't work. People like people who are just like them. Know your audience. Know your market. Know how they talk, think, and feel. Seriously, it will help you in this business.

Here are a few questions I ask when people call in:

-So, how did you get my number? Did you drive by the home? Or, did you see my sign or flyer? (This will tell you a lot. If they actually drove by the home, it means they are looking in that neighbohood. If not, you need to determine whether or not they are a good prospect and then instruct them to drive by first).

-What are you looking for? 2 bedroom, 3 bedroom? What area? (Let them tell you what they want. If they are calling just asking questions about the price of the home, answer them quickly and get off the phone - they may not be as motivated. Remember, you need to think as a homeowner - if you were looking for a home to buy for your family, what kind of questions would you ask? How would you approach the seller? If the person on the other end, does not sound like your target buyer get off the phone asap and move on to your next prospect).

-How many people are you looking for? (This will tell you if you are dealing with a family, individuals or both. If they question you, tell them the park has instructed you to ask due to occupancy limits with the local city ordinance code).

-Do you have pets? What kind? (Determine whether you want to take pets or not. Also, you need to know the rules of the park as well - some parks do not allow pets or have certain restrictions and requirements regarding pets. Find this out beforehand).

-Are you in a lease? Or, going month to month? (This will tell you their time frame for buying. I do like people who have been renting as opposed to people living with family and just looking for a place - renters have been pre-screened already).

-How much are you paying in rent right now? How much do you have saved up for a down payment? (If they do not have any money saved up, they may not be serious and may just be looking. Serious buyers have money saved up - remember it's just like being a homeowner. If you were planning to buy a home in the future, would you have money saved up for your down payment? Most people would and plan beforehand).

-Have you driven by the home? If not, give them directions to drive by and tell them to call you back if they are further interested.

After asking the questions above and determining whether or not this is your target buyer, then you can decide if you want to make an appointment to show the home. Only arrange showings with people you have prescreened over the phone and have already driven by the home. Do not waste your time with people who will not drive by the home and only want to take your time to show it. Remember, time is money.

It takes time and experience to learn to screen buyers. It's a skill and you will only learn by doing and asking lots of questions - information is the key. In time you will get better - it's just like riding a bike because practice makes perfect.

Appreciation

"You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want!"

-Zig Ziglar

With the holiday season approaching, I made my rounds this week with the park managers/owners of my favorite parks (aka the parks I like to work in) distributing goodies and gifts.

My holiday cheer was very much welcomed and appreciated by all. It really brought a smile and put everyone in a good mood. We chatted and talked about plans for the holidays, shopping and the like. It was nice. People really appreciate when I take the time to visit and catch up with them - they feel appreciated.

And guess, what? Since I took the time to care and appreciate these very valuable people in my network, they expressed their gratitude and desire to work with me more in the future. I have been labeled as their favorite person to work with :)

The secret of my success has been directly a result of my network and the relationships I have built. So many people think in terms of money and themselves - what's in it for them? This is why the term "investor" gets a bad name. It's true - most investors are really out there for themselves, greedy and even worse - dishonest. Though, these people never last - it is short term.

Since I am here for the long haul, I make sure my relationships are built with integrity and trust. I am not in it for the overnight success like most people are. I have made a commitment to make this a long term business - I intend to keep it that way.

Speaking of commitment, I'm not going to sugarcoat it - this business takes work. Success does not happen overnight. I have had to put in the hours required to make this business work. Many people I know do not see the benefits - they think I work too hard.

I'll be honest - I've had to give up some things for this business including having a social life. It's true. Some of my friends think I need to be more social and do things normal people my age are doing such as going to events and parties. I guess it just boils down to priorities.

For me, it's not a priority to go out and meet people on a social level. I have a business to run and this takes priority over social events. I do try to make time to be social once in a while. I admit, sometimes it is difficult to interact with others who do not understand. Ah, the life of an entrepreneur!

I respect people's opinions. I think everyone has their own path in life. My path just so happens to be more different than others.

Pets!

Here's the latest deal. I had a whirlwind of drama with this one. We closed on the home but the seller needed some time after the closing to move out. So, I had to use my gut on this one - paid a portion of the funds to the seller at closing and the rest upon move out.

Here's the problem. The seller's car had some issues - it would not start. So, we had to wait a few days for the part. The part came in and the car still wouldn't start. The seller was stressed and told me he couldn't leave without his car. Told me he would have to have a mechanic take a look so it would be a few more days.

At this point, I was getting at the end of my patience. The seller had already breached the agreement - it had already been a couple days after he was supposed to vacate. So, what did I do? I told the seller the park manager was going to file for eviction soon if he did not leave. (By the way, I got the ok from the park manager to be the "bad guy" - he was cool with it).

So, the seller was in a panic. He called up one of his buddies who loaned him a truck. Then, we had one more snag - his cat. The seller was planning to go to a hotel, but asked me how about the cat? Where would his cat stay? The cat may not be allowed to stay in the hotel. None of his family or friends would allow the cat to stay with them. He told me he couldn't leave without his cat not having a place to stay.

Ok, I was at my wits end with this deal - I knew I needed to have the seller vacate asap. I looked into a few "pet resorts," they call them here where you can leave pets overnight. They were booked up. Called a few animal hospitals - they only accommodated existing clients.

I dialed and dialed and dialed. Finally, I found a veterinary clinic. Talked to them - they told me usually they only accept existing clients for boarding overnight. I used my last breath of energy on them, "Well, I could be a potential client." They accepted and I made a reservation for the seller's cat for overnight lodging. Cost the seller $9 per night, but that was good enough. Both the seller and the cat now had a place to stay - they vacated that day. Problem solved, case closed.

Stolen!

Today, I went to meet the electrician at one of the trailers to check out the wiring. To my surprise, all of the window units were gone! In addition, the outside a/c unit was also gone. I knew who it was, I just couldn't prove it. You see, the owner of the trailer who sold the house to the seller (who in turn sold to me) told me the owner gave her all those a/c units. And, before we closed she told me he would also take out the outside a/c unit since it was no longer working. So, it's a surprise that the outside a/c unit and all the window units are gone? Problem is, I can't prove it was him. I tried calling him but to my surprise - he can't receive incoming phone calls! He has a few trailers in the same park as well and it's just a coincidence that one of his he's working on now just so happens to have a new window unit sitting outside. Ugh!

So, I called the park manager and told him I was really mad. The park manager apologized and told me he will look into it and let the maintenance man know to keep an eye out. He suggested I could file a police report but I'm not sure what good that will do since they are already gone.

At this point, I learned a valuable lesson. Secure the house and all it's belongings at all costs. Though there are also window units in this park, anyone at any time can come around and pull it out of the window - that's what happened in this case. This is a lesson learned - a lesson I won't forget.

Bug Alert!

Sometimes this business requires you to get down and dirty - literally. Recently, I had a trailer cleaned out. While the cleaning crew was there, I noticed there were a lot of flys hovering over the carpet. I mean a lot of flys, like 30 of them - seriously. So, I ask my cleaning crew about the flys. They told me they weren't sure why they were there - maybe there was some food in the carpet. I planned to have the carpet cleaned professionally after the trailer clean out.

I decided to seek some professional counsel - aka another park manager. The park manager told me it has to be food or something in the carpet. She advised me to fumigate the entire house with "fogger" (see the pic below) before the carpet cleaners came to clean the carpet so the bugs would be dead on arrival.



So, I took the park manager's advice - fumigated the entire house with "fogger." Basically, "fogger" comes in a spray can and you set it down in each room in the middle and it begins spraying the stuff that kills the bugs dead. I was kind of freaked out about it as I thought it was like bombing the house and wasn't sure how much time I'd have to get out. But, it was no big deal. Once you start it, it sprays slowly and you've got some time to get out of the house. I did this for each room in the home.

In any case, I came back after a couple days so that I could meet the carpet cleaners. Guess what I found? Check this out:



It was crazy! It wasn't just one, but a bunch of these things dead all over the house! Yuck! Guess they were hiding. And, yes those flys died instantly too.

In any case, the carpet cleaners came and cleaned the carpet. I've found it better to clean carpets rather than replace them using an awesome carpet cleaning company referred to me by a park manager - they do wonders with carpets. Even if the carpet is really dirty, they take it out using a special machine to steam clean the carpet.


So, lesson learned. Guess I always learn something new with this business. It's all worth it, even if I have to get down and dirty from time to time!