The Mobile Home Park Lawyer Podcast

In today’s episode, we talk to Paul Bradley. Paul is a mobile home park operator who first stepped into the industry in 1988 when he was still 24 years old. As a young professional back then, he began working for an organization called New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, and since then made it his mission to help low-income people own homes, hence why he founded ROC USA in May 2008.   Paul emphasizes the importance of support. Their cooperatives work with low-income communities to help future residents own homes while being able to secure long-term gains. Paul inspires us how profit with a mission works, especially within low-income communities.   Highlights of the episode: 00:00:45 Guest Intro: Paul Bradley 00:01:17 Guest Shares His Background 00:02:11 The Leap 00:05:37 Difference Between Mobile Home Parks and Owner-Occupied Homes 00:09:24 Value Proposition 00:11:13 Equity 00:14:16 The Fear of Escalating Rents 00:15:43 Increasing Costs 00:19:50 Assessment Ratio and Other Sensitivities 00:26:44 Risk of Transfer 00:30:27 Putting Viable Opportunity 00:35:50 Who Pays for the Due Diligence  00:40:29 Closing   Connecting with the Guest: Website: https://rocusa.org/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-bradley-01369813/   Connecting with MHP Law:    Website: https://themobilehomelawyer.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Mobile-Home-Park-Lawyer-103814958118069 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themhplawyer-ferdniemann6923147/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themhplawyer   #beobjective #havingamission #cooperatives

In today’s episode, we talk to Dustin Maxwell. Dustin is a commercial airline pilot who lives overseas while managing and owning mobile home parks throughout the United States, but mostly in the Southeast.   Dustin always had a business sense. He emphasizes on building connections with people, reaching out and putting yourself out there. Having open channels of communication, an organizational structure and some standard operating procedures are a must, especially when managing mobile home parks. He states that mobile home park owners must have a plan so they can be proactive instead of reactive.   Dustin joins Ferd to share insights on how mobile home parks can help solve problems in our lives. It should be acknowledged that in the scope of real estate, it is not like studying for a test that either you pass or fail. In real estate, you should have so much power and control just depending on how much work you put into it. You should spend the time researching and educating yourself on it.   Highlights of the episode: 00:00:38 Guest Intro : Dustin Maxwell 00:01:05 Guest Shares His Background 00:03:16 How the Guest Source Deals and Manages Mobile Home Parks 00:10:51 How the Guest Operates Mobile Home Parks 00:13:46 Managing Scope of Works Remotely and Those That Can’t Be Done Remotely 00:15:16 Issues About Water Bill 00:20:57 Tips, Tricks, and Lessons Learned 00:22:54 Taking Accountability For Your Mistakes 00:26:20 Other Strategies From the Guest 00:27:50 Taking Action 00:35:03 Guest Contact Information 00:35:54 Closing   Connecting with the Guest: Website: https://jetsettercapital.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustin-maxwell-06780699/ Email: dustin.maxwell@expressjet.com   Connecting with MHP Law:    Website: https://themobilehomelawyer.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Mobile-Home-Park-Lawyer-103814958118069 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themhplawyer-ferdniemann6923147/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themhplawyer   #beingproactive #mobilehomepark #realestate

In today’s episode, we talk to Craig Napoliello. Craig is a real estate hustler, owned a couple of multi-family properties, but now focuses on mobile home parks. Craig got into mobile home parks for about three years now and ended up selling 1031 of his multi-family properties to deepen his interest in real estate. After having encountered several highs and lows, Craig, together with his partner Kevin, find mobile home parks as a fundamental operation to not only sustain income, but also take it as a motivation to provide other families a great place to live.   Craig joins Ferd to share insights about how inspiring the realm of mobile home parks can be. Craig points out that there is real work to be done into making mobile home parks successful. If you want to have a high-quality and well-respected business, then you must be willing to take a lot of work. Despite trial and errors along the way, you must learn to love what you do.   Highlights of the episode: 00:00:48 Guest Intro : Craig Napoliello 00:01:28 Craig’s Background 00:03:08 Introducing His Business Partner 00:04:52 How Personal Business Relationships Can Be Challenging 00:06:34 Going to North Carolina 00:08:10 Reflecting on New Opportunities 00:10:37 Importance of Partnering With Experts in Your Field 00:12:27 Being Courageous to Take It All 00:13:19 How Craig Navigated Through the Loose Ends 00:16:10 Finding Deals 00:17:41 Number of Deals Closed Through Referrals 00:22:30 Thank You’s as Testimonials 00:23:28 Exerting Extra Effort 00:25:59 Ups and Downs That We Can Learn From 00:26:35 Learning to Love What You Do 00:30:30 Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Home Parks 00:39:00 Cautions 00:50:09 Closing   Connecting with the Guest: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-napoliello-b5122a58/ Email: craig@40oaks.com   Connecting with MHP Law:    Website: https://themobilehomelawyer.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Mobile-Home-Park-Lawyer-103814958118069 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themhplawyer-ferdniemann6923147/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themhplawyer   #wholesale #mobilehomepark #sidehustle

In today’s episode, we will be having a conversation with Gerard O’Sullivan. Gerard O'Sullivan  is a successful businessman and a mobile home park investor and operator. He has been investing actively and passively in multifamily for 20 years and just recently got into mobile home parks for 2 years. He learned that while the depreciation on multifamily assets is good, the depreciation on mobile home parks is even better.   Gerard joins Ferd to share insights about: (1) the amount of commitment, time and effort there is in being a business owner; (2) how taxes can become a primary driver in business; (3) how real estate can be used as a tax strategy; and (4) how he was able to maximize his finances in the MHP space.   Highlights of the episode: 00:00:39 Guest Intro: Gerard O’Sullivan 00:01:24 Background of the Guest 00:02:20 Getting Into Business in Your Early Twenties 00:04:45 Real Estate Space 00:05:38 Tax as Maturity Driver 00:08:02 Beginning of Multifamily World  00:08:32 How to Take Advantage of Bonus Depreciation 00:14:19 Tax Code in the IRS 00:18:42 Cost Segregation 00:21:30 Learning New Spaces and Gathering New Experiences 00:38:51 Balance Between Work and Family   Connecting with the Guest: Website: https://spindriftcapitalpartners.com/  Contact: 516-445-2974   Connecting with MHP Law:    Website: https://themobilehomelawyer.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Mobile-Home-Park-Lawyer-103814958118069 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themhplawyer-ferdniemann6923147/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themhplawyer   #powerintaxes #mobilehomeparks #realestate

In today’s episode, we talk to Eric Lindsey. Eric is a real estate hustler, owns and flips mobile home parks while investing in homes and apartments. Eric got into Mobile home parks four to five years ago as a solution to address his job instability in the construction arena. After having encountered several layoffs, finding a secure job but then facing corporate politics along the way, it was then evident for him to seek and double down on other income sources. Eric joins Ferd to share insights about wholesaling mobile home parks as a great way to get training wheels for ownership. Eric deeps dive into his processes and best practices on how to operate mobile home parks as a side hustle. Highlights of the episode: 00:00:38 Guest Intro: Eric Lindsey 00:01:04 Eric’s background 00:04:24 What Eric sees in today’s marketplace 00:05:59 Wholesale as a training wheel step to ownership 00:11:28 The process of wholesale on homes, parks, and apartments 00:14:12 Ways to locate mobile homes  00:17:07 Wholesaling a mobile home on a handshake and best practices 00:19:00 Convincing people to just wire the money 00:22:09 Tips and tricks for people who want to get into the MHP space Connecting with the Guest: Website: https://ericlindseyrei.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-lindsey-15b937123/?trk=public_profile_browsemap Email: moonlightequitiesgoup@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoonlightSideHustle/ Podcast: “The Moonlight Real Estate Side Hustles and Syndications Show” Connecting with MHP Law:    Website: https://themobilehomelawyer.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Mobile-Home-Park-Lawyer-103814958118069 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themhplawyer-ferdniemann6923147/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themhplawyer #wholesale #mobilehomepark #sidehustle

In this episode, Ferd talks about the differences between hiring a Pro versus a Schmo contractor. He also explains why pros are expensive compared to Schmos. Ferd also discusses why there is a need to have general liability insurance for workers or contractors.  Listen to the episode as we learn more about the best practices for hiring pros versus schmo contractors and identify how and when to hire one or the other. Highlights of the episode: 00:00:32 Pros vs Schmos Contractor 00:04:37 General Liability Insurance 00:06:29 Why you should never hire a schmo 00:07:26 Pro is expensive while the waiver is risky 00:10:07 COI certificate insurance 00:15:08 When do you need to hire a pro or a schmo 00:19:42 Best practices for hiring pros vs schmos Connecting with MHP Law: Website: https://themobilehomelawyer.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Mobile-Home-Park-Lawyer-103814958118069 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themhplawyer-ferdniemann6923147/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themhplawyer #Schmos #GeneralLiabilityInsurance #Hiringcontractors

Section 8 is an opportunity for low-income families and residents to rent apartments and housing at fair market rates. In this episode, Ferd Niemann shares with us real-life experiences and examples of section 8, whether a landlord or tenant should allow this arrangement and the cost that comes with it. Highlights of the episode: 1:57 - What is section 8? 2:09 - Pros of Section 8 2:54 - Cons of Section 8 4:29 - Is section 8 favorable among MH 4:56 - Regulators of Section 8 6:28 - Old stereotypes on low-income tenants 7:26 - Different real-life encounters under section 8 20:45 - Wrapping up on section 8 Notable Quotes  4:11 - “Just because people are poor doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have the same kind of housing or livability standard” - Ferd Niemann Connecting with MHP Law: Website: https://themobilehomelawyer.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Mobile-Home-Park-Lawyer-103814958118069 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themhplawyer-ferdniemann6923147/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themhplawyer #Section8 #MobileHomes #realestateopportunities

It’s always critical to your deal the level of due diligence you can apply before purchasing a property. In this episode of the MHP Lawyer Podcast, Ferd Niemann shares his own due diligence list specific to mobile home parks and highlights the importance behind each one of them to how they can be leveraged strategically to manipulate the contract and timing associated with your offer. The devil is in the details and the victory is in the details of the contract. Tune into this episode to use the ultimate seller deliverable list that will change the way you write your contract and change the outcome of the offers that you write.   Highlights of the episode:   00:47 - The importance of a seller due diligence list 03:20 - Copies of existing surveys  04:12 - Third-party reports 06:01 - Copies of the permits 06:25 - Copies of leases 06:39 - Private utilities and insurance policies 07:06 - Right of first refusal 07:13 - When to get copies of property tax bills 08:15 - Letters of non-compliance 08:46 - Copies of utility bills 08:56 - Copies of vendor contracts 09:50 - List of the 5 best and worst aspects of the property 10:21 - P&Ls 10:45 - Tax returns 11:15 - Capital expenditures 11:29 - Age, type, and material of the structure  12:24 - List of infrastructures and refurbishing issues 13:08 - Personal property included in the sale 14:29 - Criminal activity and problem tenants 14:52 - Copies of title 15:21 - Copy of any title policy or insurance   Notable Quotes  “The part of this due diligence list, for purposes of due diligence, is also kind of a way to extend your inspection period and your closing period.” - Ferd Niemann “It’s crucial to understand property taxes. It’s one of the most important variables in the operating expenses that I see brokers lying about all the time, and I see buyers and sellers not understanding all the time. ” - Ferd Niemann “The devil’s in the details, but sometimes the victories are in the details of contracts.”  - Ferd Niemann   Connecting with MHP Law: Website: https://themobilehomelawyer.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Mobile-Home-Park-Lawyer-103814958118069 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themhplawyer-ferdniemann6923147/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themhplawyer   #DueDiligence #Checklist #MHP

This week's episode is about the pros and cons of owning a small mobile home park. Ferd Niemann shares the pros and cons of buying a small mobile home park. While some pros exist such as getting a chance to connect with tenants on a more personal level, cons also do exist such as not having the ability to hire a full time property manager. In addition to this discussion of contrast between the two, Ferd also weighs in by using his personal experience as a small mobile home park owner and addresses the problems that he faced and had overcome.   Highlights of the episode: 00:20 - What Is A small park 01:21 - Initial Cons of owning a small park 03:24 - Paying The Park In Cash 03:40 - Not having a full time manager 03:52 - Finding at a higher cap rate  05:00 - Easier to Zone 05:23 - Less tenants equal less headaches 05:34 - 1 vacant unit will be a big hit to the business 06:06 - Getting more personal with the tenants 06:34 - Issues with scaling 07:53 - Conclusion   Notable Quotes “In general, smaller parks are going to cost less, it’d be cheaper and require less cash.” - Ferd Niemann “It may be a nice trial park, depending on where you are financially.” - Ferd Niemann “You could know all the tenants by name” - Ferd Niemann   Connecting with MHP Law: Website: https://themobilehomelawyer.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Mobile-Home-Park-Lawyer-103814958118069 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themhplawyer-ferdniemann6923147/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themhplawyer   #SmallMHP #ProsAndCons #MHP

Jamie Simerly has experience in installing sewer and water utilities for new residential and commercial construction. He has been with Homestead Inspection since 2019. Homestead Inspection is a family-owned and operated business with over 30 years of residential building experience and over 24 years in home inspection services. In this episode, Jamie will deep dive into the common problems investors face with sewer lines such as identifying a previous repair, a tree root clog, and more. He also discusses why Orangeburg pipes still exist today even though they’ve been disallowed by the government. Finally, Jamie shares his typical quotes in service at Homestead inspection so that you can have a baseline in your market or even possibly inquire about his services should you need them for your properties.    Highlights of the episode: 00:32 - Introduction of Jamie Simerly 01:03 - Background of Jamie Simerly 02:42 - How to do sewer surveys 05:53 - Determining an Orangeburg pipe 08:44 - Why you should check your sewer line 09:30 - Other materials you should avoid for your sewer line 12:43 - Failure points of clay pipes   17:21 - Common fixes for clay pipes 18:43 - Different Types of sewer piping problems 18:57 - How to tell if it’s had a previous repair 20:08 - How to tell if it’s a tree root clog 22:16 - Why there shouldn’t be water sitting on the pipe 23:52 - Checking out on the disconnects 24:35 - Pricing for Jamie’s services 27:54 - Knowing if your manhole is connected to the sewer line 30:27 - Talk to people in the community first 33:11 - How to reach Jamie   Notable Quotes  “If you don’t have it properly cleaned out and descalled, then you don’t know what you’re dealing with until it breaks” - Jamie Simerly “If you don’t have enough room to actually put a 4 inch pipe into a line that’s been reduced down to 2 inches, then you won’t be able to sleeve it at all.” - Jamie Simerly “We want to give you the most information that we can, possible, out of us going out and doing a sewer survey.” - Jamie Simerly   Connecting with Guest Phone Number: (816) 883-1090 Website: https://www.homestead-inspection.com/   Connecting with MHP Law: Website: https://themobilehomelawyer.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Mobile-Home-Park-Lawyer-103814958118069 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themhplawyer-ferdniemann6923147/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themhplawyer   #Sewerline #TypesOfPipes #SewerSurvey