Mobile Home Park Agreement

Real Estate Investing Mobile Homes & Mobile Home Parks
1

Hi everybody. I’ve read through Lonnie’s books twice, have read many of the articles on this website, and am excited to get started with my first “Lonnie Deal.”

I have spoken to the owners of two mobile home parks, and explained to them my hopes to finance a home in their park and if it would be a problem. Both have said it would be fine with them as long as the tenant passed their background check. (not a problem)

My concern is with being able to leave the home in their park (ie not having to relocate the home at some point). I am trying to come up with a legal document to cover all possible outcomes, and was wondering if anybody has any advice to offer regarding this scenario.

Specifically, what types of language should be included in our agreement to protect all involved?

Thanks for your help.

2

What’s in it for the park, to sign your agreement that would, as you state, cover all possible outcomes?

What type of homes are we talking about here?

I’ve considered entering into written agreements with park owners, but not until we both knew each other well and both had something to offer each other. Even then, I didn’t end up finding it necessary.

As long as you both understand what you expect of each other, it seems a little premature to lay out, on paper, all possible outcomes, when you really don’t even know what those outcomes might be, since you haven’t done a deal yet.

Why not just try one and see if it’s something you want to do before worrying about predicting every possible twist and turn that the business may throw at you?

3

Thanks, Jeff. I appreciate the help.

I am looking at a 2/1 mobile home that is for sale. I am wondering if there are any other considerations to give outside of me owning the home, financing it, and both (myself and park) agreeing on who rents it. There was a question from the park on who would be responsible for lot rent (myself or occupant), but other than that not much was brought up by the park owner.

From your experiences, it sounds like these agreements are pretty straight forward.

Any other advice? I’m all ears. :slight_smile:

4

a

“I am trying to come up with a legal document to cover all possible outcomes.”

such a document doesn’t exit nor will it ever…!

5

The missing doc

“I am trying to come up with a legal document to cover all possible outcomes.”

Isn’t that in Obamacare Law? All else apparently is :slight_smile:

6

Murph,
As you can see from two of the responses, the government is always trying to “protect” everybody from any negative outcome. This is an impossible task. All the new “consumer protection” laws are adding costs TO the consumer with little or no added protection FOR him/her; think TSA.

Two issues in your post: rental vs. finance and avoiding moving a home.

So you are trying to minimize the risk to you to have to move a mobile home. This is totally understandable as it adds expense with no additional income in most cases. First of all, it is extremely rare that ANY park would want you to move a home out that you were fixing.

Never had to move one out. I have dealt with 8 different park owners of multiple parks over the past 9 years, no written contract with any of them. I gave my 1st one to a park this August. There was suddenly a new owner of a declining park I’d worked for 5 yrs and wanted out of. He demanded me to fix it up and to mow the lawn or he would charge me $35/wk to mow. It was an hour away. Previous mgr was helping me find a $300 buyer for it park mowed it for free. New owner wanted me fix up or pull the home that got destroyed by my buyer. Value of home= $300, repairs=$4000, likely sale price on a note $4500, w/$500 down in that area. Cost to tear down or take to dump, $1000. Mailed him the signed title.

This is one of the reasons to invest as little as possible in your first few in a park. Time to get to know the park, the manager, the other tenants, even the owner. I don’t mean buy a $300 junker, cause that will cost you $4-5000 to fix up. I mean keep it around $3K all-in. That way if your relationship with the park blows up, you haven’t lost your house/apt. payment and have to tell the family “we have to live in a shoebox now”.

If the relationship blows up, here’s what usually happens: You spend the extra $$ to move the home to another park or you sign the title of the home over to the offending park and walk away. Moho 101, lesson learned at that park.

Rental:
There is a little confusion in your second post about who is responsible for lot rent. If you are doing a Lonnie Deal, the tenant is responsible for the lot rent. You have sold it (title in their name) and are now just financing the sale (Lien-holder). No bank pays lot rent to anybody just because they are financing a mobile home.

On the other hand, if you are going to rent the home (not sell it) usually you are responsible for the lot rent.

Steve

7

Thank you, Steve. You touched on my concerns with your post.