So last summer, I finally bought that rundown mobile home park everyone said was a bad idea. Place looked rough, weeds everywhere, half the units vacant. But the price was right, y’know? Figured I could turn it around. Got my hands dirty right away.
Step One: Fix What’s Broken
First thing? That vacant unit. Didn’t wanna pay someone else’s mortgage, right? Rolled up my sleeves. Replaced that busted window myself – saved $150 easy. Scraped off that peeling paint and slapped on a fresh coat of generic white. Found cheap laminate flooring online, spent a weekend putting it down. Felt like dying afterwards, but it looked… acceptable. Definitely livable. Rented it out two weeks later for $400/month. Boom. Cash flow started.
Step Two: Stop Bleeding Money
Old water bills were killing me. Those leaks! Bought a cheap pipe wrench kit – watched YouTube videos like a hawk. Spent one whole Saturday crawling under homes, tightening connections, replacing washers. Learned the hard way to turn off the main shutoff valve first. Nearly got soaked! Got those leaks under control. Water bill dropped by almost 40% next month. Felt good not throwing money away.
Step Three: Milk That Coin Op
Noticed tenants hauling laundry to town. Bad sign. Found an old, used washing machine and dryer for sale nearby. Looked rough but worked. Installed them in the communal laundry room I cleaned out. Called a coin-op company – they slapped in quarter slots. Took maybe a week. Now? Pure profit. Every month, I get a nice little envelope of quarters jingling in my pocket. Didn’t cost much, keeps paying me back.
Step Four: Storage Space = Cash Space
Had this big, nasty shed at the back full of junk. Nobody used it. Got a bunch of friends together one Saturday, pizza on me. Cleared it all out. Emptied it, swept it, installed a new padlock. Posted on that community website: “Storage Space For Rent – Cheap”. Got interest fast. Now renting it out to a guy storing his lawn mowing gear. $50 bucks a month, cash. Free money for space I wasn’t using!
Step Five: Know Your Place (Literally)
Biggest lesson? You GOTTA be there. Stopped by unexpected one Tuesday morning. Found a dude parking his busted-up camper on an empty pad! Didn’t ask, just plopped it down. Had to have a little chat, if you know what I mean. Paid me $100 cash on the spot to stay the week while “figuring things out”. He left Friday. Keep a presence. People respect it (or at least, avoid getting caught!).
So yeah, that’s the gist. Bought cheap. Fixed basics myself (sweat equity!). Got tenants paying rent. Added coin laundry & storage for easy cash. Kept a close eye on things. It ain’t glamorous. Sometimes it smells funky. But that park? It pays me now. Roughly $1600/month profit after everything, just from that initial work. Takes hustle, not a fortune. More tips later!
