Podcast appearances and mentions of Frank Rolfe

Any time that you pay more for a mobile home park than it is currently worth, based on existing net income, you are engaged in “stretching” to rationalize paying the higher amount. But the types of “stretching” required to bridge the gap typically vary from acceptable to too risky. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to explore the fundamentals of “stretching” and determine their quotient of risk.

Millennials have some fresh ideas about housing, and one of their desires is to have “social amenities”. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to explore the concept of “social amenities” and offer some recommendations on how to bring this concept to your community.

There are two basic construction methods on any billboard: 1) wood or 2) steel. But which is correct? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to review the methodology to determine which type of material to use and what the benefits and disadvantages are.

We all know that celebrities use plastic surgery to augment or alter their appearance. But how can a mobile home park share in this ability to improve the looks of the property using man-made products? In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review some of the methods that allow you to increase your community's beauty quickly and at a relatively low cost.

A “lever” is defined as “a rigid bar used to move a heavy load when pressure is applied to one end”. But in the mobile home park business, sometimes the strongest “lever” is made of paper and roughly 6” long. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to explore the different ways in which a little cash can get the desired results if you know where to apply the “lever”.

A recession is defined as “two consecutive quarters of negative GDP”. With Q1 of this year at a negative 0.3%, all it will take is a Q2 negative number to trigger a recession. While many fear this outcome, I have found recessions to be great opportunities to expand your business. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to review the benefits derived from an economy in transition.

It's that time of year when mobile home park owner attention turns to property condition, which always includes thoughts on the roads. Paving companies are more than happy to suggest hugely expensive road upgrades. But how can you improve your roads with as little capital as possible? In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to explore various options to get better roads at a low cost.

The U.S. economy seems to be slowing down, and even if it does not hit the "recession" threshold it's important to understand what to do if it does. There is a strategy to renting billboards in tough times that revolves around certain advertisers and methods. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to explore successful "recession-resistant" marketers and how to attract them.

Virtually every state has, at some point, debated, denied or passed legislation regarding giving the tenants the "first option" to buy the property. They do this using faulty assumptions and absolutely zero understanding of how the "tenant-owned" process works. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to explore the truth behind this issue and reveal what the government is apparently fully unaware of.

When it comes to compelling locations to own a mobile home park in, college towns are at the top of the pack. But what makes college towns such successful settings for manufactured home communities? In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to explore why having a college or university in a market gives it superior firepower when it comes to housing.

Millions of investors are obsessed with the direction of interest rates. While that's a noble pursuit, there's a huge opportunity created by this distraction as far as mobile home parks are concerned. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to discuss why the late Sam Zell quote of “when everyone's looking left, look right” applies to much of what's going on right now.

The difference between big companies and small players is that one never sees the opportunity and the other takes advantage of every opening. Yet sometimes the small player can start to act like a big company and completely ruin their advantage. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to review how never to have a “big company” attitude.

While most mobile home park owners prefer the “parking lot” model in which all of the homes are strictly owned by the residents, in some cases even well-managed properties may engage in rentals for various reasons. And if you're going to rent mobile homes, it's essential that you have a system of rental inspections. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to explore the necessity of inspections and how to perform them properly.

It's not uncommon to have lots of different sizes, but sometimes park owners have to make hard choices on how best to use their smallest parcels. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to discuss the different options for small lots and come to some mathematical conclusions on their most profitable uses.

Sometimes – even at the last minute – a bank can suddenly change its mind and retract their offer to make a loan. What do you do then? In this Self-Storage University podcast we're going to explore why this occurs and what the correct steps are to mitigate this potential event.

In forging successful mobile home park deals, one of your most important tools is simply “thinking outside the box”. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review some of the most successful creative tactics to make deals work for both buyer and seller. As we'll discuss, today's winning buyer is a mixture of one part scientist and one part sculptor.

The late John Naisbitt coined the term “megatrend” to describe “long-term and transformative forces” that he saw in the U.S. economy. But all megatrends start small and grow over time, like the Mighty Oak. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to explore the new “megatrends” that impact the mobile home park sector with predictions on their direction over time.

One of the most interesting types of billboard structures is the “wallscape” – in which the billboard is affixed to a masonry wall or similar fixture. By using the wall to hold the sign up, you save an enormous amount of money over a monopole, I-beam or wooden structure. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to explore how to successfully put together a wallscape deal.

When you buy a mobile home park, one of the first decisions you have to make is whether to keep the existing manager or to replace them. Legacy managers often come with a book of knowledge but their potentially bad traits may make them toxic to your park's performance. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review the science behind making that choice correctly.

While municipal utilities are universally preferred, many mobile home parks have private water, sewer or both. Yet, in some cases, there is access to lines available to potentially convert the park over to the “city” utility equivalent. But should you consider doing so? In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review the important considerations needed to make the right decision.

Life is made up of colors and there's a science to their selection when it comes to billboard designs. How colors interact with the human mind has been a big part of the research of the billboard industry as well as many other applications. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to explore the science of color to help create more effective billboards.

Scott Turner is the new head of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. And he's bringing a new vision and mission that will impact many aspects of the mobile home park industry going forward – in a very positive way. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to explore Turner's new hot button topics.

While the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency is trying to reduce cost on a national level, many of these same principles apply to mobile home parks. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review the real-life methods to perform a DOGE study on your property and discuss many of the areas that virtually every mobile home park can do a better job in.

Billboards are massive and immovable. As a result, once they're built, they're built. Since the cost to move a billboard – even an inch – is thousands of dollars at best, it's important to understand some simple tricks to make sure you're not making a mistake in sign placement and construction. And that's what we're gong to explore in this Billboard Mastery podcast.

Every time a mobile home pulls out of a lot in your community, you lose a ton of money. Park owners have been pondering for years the magic of how to keep homes from leaving. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review the methods attempted over the years and explore the only real solutions to keeping occupied lots from becoming vacant.

A mobile home park is like a chess board with many options to place your pieces, not just the ones that come with the owner's manual. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to explore the reasons that you might want to change the positioning of your mobile homes, the typical rules regarding that customization, and where these slight park redesigns may be heading in the future.

America is always expanding, and with that growth comes new opportunities to build billboards. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to explore the fast-expanding markets known as “exurban” and “supercommuter” and how to spot these hot advertising markets in advance.

We have been talking for years about the difficulty in building new mobile home parks. However, there has been a shift in the parable of how you can get a permit to build yet still be in a desirable area. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to explore the new face of park development and why that's a great thing for the industry.

Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's, was the first to explore the necessity of "riding the wave". And his lessons learned transfer well to mobile home park management. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review what he meant, how he came to form this opinion, and how all mobile home park owners and managers need to embrace this important tenet.

Billboard revenues are increasing in the U.S., after many years of weak performance due to a number of factors including competing advertising products, Covid, and corporate distractions from marketing to such initiatives as DEI. Now, suddenly, billboard rates of return are increasing. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to explore why the sudden shift has occurred and if it's a fad or a permanent change.

Most community owners raise their rents annually, and typically in the Spring. As part of that process, they often have to get new leases and rules signed. Additionally, every time you buy a new mobile home park you are going to have to get new leases and rules executed. But how do you navigate that process? In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review the methodology to do this correctly.

Much of the uncertainty in America ended with the November 5th election, and we now know who will be running things starting in 2025. But many investors don't realize that our starting point as a nation may be much different than what the media has conveyed to date. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast, we're going to review where things may really stand and what we can expect in the New Year.

So the property owner wants too much ground rent. What should you do? How about just telling them the truth? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to explore one of the most powerful negotiating tools you have at your disposal: telling the truth in the strongest possible fashion.

We all know that banks like mobile home parks at what they call “stabilized occupancy” – which is around 80% full – and have less affection for those properties that have not yet hit that status. When you are looking at buying a mobile home park with significant vacancy, one smart starting point is to make sure that your “vacant” lot count is reflective of what should be truly available.

The standard billboard ground lease involves trading the right to place a sign on the land in exchange for a monetary payment. But how do you decide that that amount should be? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to explore some techniques that help steer you towards a land rent that is fair for both parties.

Mobile home park owners have to deal with rules and regulations like any other business and making sure you are in full compliance is essential. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to focus on what the standard regulations are and which agency is responsible for them.

While most mobile home parks have direct access to roads and utilities, others share one or more of these with a neighboring property. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to explore the concept of shared services and how to navigate that issue correctly.

Baby Boomers are aging and they make up a large segment of mobile home park residents. Will mobile homes meet their needs in the years ahead? In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review if mobile homes can fit the needs of seniors and offer a great living experience for them.

The majority of billboards in the U.S. are located on leased land. But a tiny fraction are cases where the sign owner also controls the land underneath, which gives them unique stability. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to explore the strategies used to own the land as well as the sign.

Let's assume you need to get your property looking good quickly. Maybe you have a bank inspection or a critical date for launching your marketing campaign to fill vacant homes. When you want to make major improvements in property appearance fast, here are some methods that cost very little but have a big impact and, in many cases, will last for a decent amount of time.

Thoughts On "Founder Mode" Elon Musk is known to go into a period of intensity when he starts a business called "founder mode". It's all about time management and focus. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to review what “founder mode” is and you how can adopt its attributes to further your billboard business.

All businesses need to listen to their customers in order to better serve their needs–and mobile home parks are no different. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review the intricacies of getting fair and balanced resident input to help better steer your mobile home community.

There is one rule that defends the rights of mobile home park owners more than any other: legal-nonconformance, also known as “grandfathering”. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review why property rights are strong regardless of the state the park is located in, and why “grandfathering” is so hard for some city officials to comprehend and enforce fairly.

This year's Presidential election is probably the most stressful of all time as both parties could not be more diametrically opposite with platforms that share no commonality. However, regardless of who wins there is good news: not much is going to change. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review why you will be fine regardless of who win, so you can stop being upset about it.

The original layout for mobile home parks was a simple, straight street with homes placed on both sides of the lane. This is called a "shotgun" park and one of the greatest challenges to these early offerings is to make them attractive. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review some of the best steps to increase the aesthetics of this style of property to both retain and attract residents.

It should be the goal of every mobile home park owner to make sure that no home ever goes vacant. Part of being the caretaker of the property is to also be the catalyst to a happy resolution to any risk of a resident leaving without warning or the ability to mitigate the damage. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast, we're going to explore the reality of keeping a steady stream of rent from every lot in the park.

In a world in which everyone has abandoned Nikon cameras for cell phones, taking good pictures has become a lost art. And the end result can be poor home sales as you try to fill your vacant lots. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to review how to take great photos and use them as an important tool to get your mobile homes sold.

There is a national push to attack landlords under what many call the “free rent movement”. This woke ideology is that landlords are inherently evil and that housing rent should be controlled by the government or – better yet – forced to be provided at no charge. In this Mobile Home Park Mastery podcast we're going to explain, in detail, why this movement is going nowhere, despite what some politicians may promise. 

Many park owners use commissions to promote achieving certain management targets. They are designed to be highly effective tools of motivation, but too many owners don't apply them properly or in the correct amounts. In this Mobile Home Park Mastey podcast we're going to review the strategy behind effecting commissions to hit your targets.

The United States has entered into uncharted territory regarding the premium it costs to own a home over rent one. From 1973 to 2022 the ratio of cost of ownership vs. renting averaged 1.03. It has now expanded to a mind-blowing 2.8 – nearly three times more. While the Biden administration has chosen to avoid this topic it needs to be addressed as it is going to impact rent levels nationwide and will bring about the largest increases in mobile home park lot rents in history in the years ahead.