Inflation Hedge: Why Parks Hold Value

Welcome back to the Passive Mobile Home Park Investing Podcast, hosted by Andrew Keel. In this episode we're revisiting a gem from our podcast archives: the 2021 interview Andrew did with the mobile home park investing legend Frank Rolfe of Mobile Home University (MHU).

We have another interview with Frank Rolfe coming up soon in 2024 so this is a good episode to re-listen to so we can measure what has changed in the mobile home park investing world since the “peak” as some call it back in 2021!

In this highly recommended and popular episode, Frank Rolfe generously shared his wealth of experience in the mobile home park investing world. We discussed Frank’s background, his future projections for the asset class and the market dynamics shaping the mobile home park investing landscape at the time in 2021. Frank's foresight, even back in 2021, is remarkable, particularly considering the subsequent surge in interest rates we’ve had from the Fed since then. His discussion on interest rates, inflation and their impact on Mobile Home Parks were mostly accurate.

One of the key takeaways from this show was Frank Rolfe’s invaluable insight into the historical challenges faced by those in the Mobile Home Park asset class, notably during the tumultuous 1990’s Chattel loan crisis. Through his narrative, listeners gain a deeper appreciation for the resilience of Mobile Home Park investments and the lessons learned from past adversities.

Join us for this replay episode as we uncover Frank Rolfe's strategies for successful Mobile Home Park investing, and tap into the wealth of knowledge he graciously shared with us back in February 2021.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to navigate the complexities of Mobile Home Park investments.

***Andrew Keel and Keel Team Real Estate Investments (Keel Team, LLC) do not endorse any interviewee. This interview is for informational purposes only and should not be depended upon for investment purposes. ***

Andrew Keel is the owner of Keel Team, LLC, a Top 100 Owner of Manufactured Housing Communities with over 3,000 lots under management. His team currently manages over 40 manufactured housing communities across more than 10 states. His expertise is in turning around under-managed manufactured housing communities by utilizing proven systems to maximize the occupancy while reducing operating costs. He specializes in bringing in homes to fill vacant lots, implementing utility bill back programs, and improving overall management and operating efficiencies, all of which significantly boost the asset value and net operating income of the communities. Check out KeelTeam.com to learn more.

Andrew has been featured on some of the Top Podcasts in the manufactured housing space, click here to listen to his most recent interviews: https://www.keelteam.com/podcast-links. In order to successfully implement his management strategy, Andrew’s team usually moves on location during the first several months of ownership. Find out more about Andrew’s story at AndrewKeel.com.

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Talking Points:

00:21 - Welcome to the Passive Mobile Home Park Investing Podcast

03:06 - Frank Rolfe’s background and how he got into manufactured housing community investing

05:01 - Glenhaven in Dallas, TX (his first mobile home park)

06:09 - Important things passive investors need to know about investing in mobile home parks

07:21 - Value Add versus Stabilized Play

12:04 - Secondary markets and tertiary markets during downturns

15:16 - COVID and his mobile home park investing portfolio

18:26 - Current state in the market cycle

22:01 - Difference in the market from the 1990’s

24:31 - Most difficult time in the business within the last 20 years

29:42 - More about 2006

30:16 - Mobile home park performance during inflationary periods

35:36 - Current events, the US dollar and the reserve currency

40:41 - How a $15 minimum wage will affect mobile home park investments

44:31 - Getting a hold of Frank Rolfe

45:36 - Conclusion 

Links & Mentions from This Episode:

MHU website: https://www.mobilehomeuniversity.com/

Frank Rolfe LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-rolfe-0b6a7024/

Keel Team's official website: https://www.keelteam.com/   

Andrew Keel's official website: https://www.andrewkeel.com/ 

Andrew Keel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewkeel 

Andrew Keel Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PassiveMHPinvestingPodcast

Andrew Keel Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/passivemhpinvesting/

Twitter: @MHPinvestors

Quotes:

“The cable bill was $2,000 something a month and so I just turned it off. That's how I solved the $2,000 and then I got a humongous break on the revenue because I had half of the lots to fill. They shut another mobile home park down in Dallas downtown. I went to the owner of the park and we cut a deal because he had to get the trailers moved out as part of his agreement with Dallas to resell it to build a home depot.” - Frank Rolfe

“The key drivers of mobile home parks are pretty simple. They’re a very simple business model. Into some of the parts, I put in the acronym of IDEAL.” - Frank Rolfe

“We're all at the mercy of interest rates and right now, people are buying a lot of low cap rates because interest rates are insanely low. I think they will remain insanely low.” - Frank Rolfe

“We saw really no impact from COVID at all. Our business model is deemed essential. Our businesses were not shut down. We had to adapt to office requirements. We have to be more socially distant. In some states, we have to close the office. We could be open but we cannot allow anyone in- which is awkward, but it really wasn't that big of a deal..” - Frank Rolfe