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Maxwell Baker

Welcome to another beautiful episode of The Mobile Home Park Broker's Tips and Tricks Podcast. This podcast is brought to you by the Community Price Maximizer. It is our proprietary system that will guarantee you a higher price when you exclusively list your community with our four-step program.

The Mobile Home Park Broker's Tips & Tricks To Investing

In this episode of The MHP Broker’s Tips and Tricks podcast, Maxwell Baker, president of The Mobile Home Park Broker, interviewed his wife, Kathryn Baker, and two more female business leaders. These were industry business owners Justine Natalie and Maria Horton. 
 
As with every Tips and Tricks podcast episode, this one is brought to you by The MHP Broker's proprietary Community Price Maximizer. Use this four-step system to get the highest price possible for your mobile home park or RV community when you sell it through The MHP Broker. Guaranteed. Call Max for details.
 
Here Are the Show Highlights:
 
 • Kathryn introduced herself as the co-owner and chief operating officer (COO) of The Mobile Home Park Broker. Her focus is on customer service excellence, optimizing workflow and driving growth. (Kathryn, 1:26)
 • Justine Natalie introduced herself as the co-founder and co-owner of a company called Dynamic MH Solutions. THat’s a hybrid third-party park management operation she started with business partner Mike Scheffler in 2021.They started by offering sales and financing services, and then got into property operations. Their focus is in teaching and training community management. (Justine, 3:00)
 • Maria Horton introduced herself as someone who has been in the business for about 23 years, mostly on the human side of the business: property management, community relations, and such. She said she loved watching her young residents grow up, get scholarships, and take on life. She also loves going to industry conferences and networking. (Maria, 4:10)
 • Maria said she thinks the biggest challenge is trying to change the image and perception of her industry and the very concept of what a mobile home is. It’s also difficult to go up against the obstacles that local communities place on manufactured home parks to regulate them and seemingly control them out of existence. (Maria, 5:55)
 • Max observed how intimidating an industry conference might be to some. For instance, the difficulty of someone just starting out trying to strike up a conversation with someone who owns 100 parks. (Max, 6:48)
 • Maria noted that she has the social ability to approach anyone at a conference, and that she goes out of her way to meet someone who seems intimidated or on the outskirts of the social action, and introduce them to others. She’s also glad to see how many women there are at these shows now, compared to years before. Women are finally becoming a bigger part of the career path. (Maria, 7:07)
 • Max then asked his guests to address the various business challenges they’ve had to take on, being women in the business. (Max, 8:00)
 • Justine said that there are so many details and decisions she has to stay on top of, it’s easy to get imposter syndrome and wonder how she possibly has the talent and ability to thrive or survive in such an environment. She said that she thinks women might overthink this more than men, who might have a greater tendency to just “jump right in” with greater confidence and less insight. This, she thinks, is a daily challenge and one she’s always trying to overcome as a female business owner. (Justine, 8:23)
 • Max said that he thinks women tend to be better business operators than men. The men prefer “flying by the seat of their plants” while women plan and strategize before taking action. (Max, 9:49)
 • Justine and her husband have observed that the careful pre-planning is something she does in her business life, but not at all in her private life where she’s more spur of the moment. (Justine, 10:09)
 • Maria thinks that might be because more people are affected by decisions she makes in the business life. At home, she can blunder her way through decisions because they affect fewer people. (Maria, 10:40)
 • One of Maria’s biggest challenges is staying abreast of all of the organizations and associations she takes an active part in. She always wants to feel that she’s making a positive impact in her industry, but it’s easy to get sucked in and get overinvolved. Sometimes she just doesn’t know when or how to say no. (Maria, 11:29)
 • Kathryn stated that she also sometimes experiences the impostor syndrome like Justine. She’s eventually come to realize that she doesn’t always have to have all of the answers, that she can rely on others on the topnotch team they’ve put together through the years. (Kathryn, 13:39)
 • Justine has made a point of hiring great people who are good at what they do so she can let them make key decisions when they should. But it took her awhile to realize that she could trust others to help her run the business. (Justine, 14:21)
 • Kathryn said that she learned how to accept the freedom to fail from a video biography of Spanx founder Sarah Blakely. She said that around the kitchen table as she was growing up her dad would ask her all the time, “Sarah, what did you fail at today?” The idea was to lose the fear of failing and be able to take decisions and get right back up on your feet if you failed the first time. Kathryn feels she is much more confident that way, now. (Kathryn, 15:12)
 • Regarding advice she’d give for women who are trying to purchase a manufactured home community, Justine said that her first tip would be to join Women Advancing Manufactured Housing (WAMH). In that way, women business owners would join a network of seasoned professionals who could offer tips and suggestions and advice. That’s the purpose of WAMH, an organization with which Justine has been closely involved. (Justine, 16:49)
 • Her second piece of advice is that the female entrepreneur should learn how to advocate for themselves and not to sit quietly by. The idea here is to control their own destinies. (Justine, 17:30)
 • Justine said that she thinks there’s still a little of a glass ceiling working against female entrepreneurs, but it’s much more subtle than it used to be. She said that she can buy a community today, but if she goes to see a lender with a male partner, the lender’s questions and comments often get directed to her partner a lot more than to herself. You have to put yourself out there when that happens, and make sure you’re heard. She says she’s also lucky in having a male business partner who’ll turn the conversation back to her when he feels she’s being ignored or minimized as a woman and an expert. (Justine, 18:45)
 • Maria doesn’t think there’s much of a glass ceiling these days in manufactured home communities. She said that female park management is becoming more common and there are fewer barriers than ever. (Maria, 19:57)
 • Max credits Kathryn with being key to building their own company to where they’ve been able to take it. Without his wife’s involvement, he felt that he would be a solo broker with maybe one employee, but she’s been able to help them grow it far beyond that point with her organizational and management skills.(Max, 23:56)
 • Max specifically credits Kathryn with being much better at managing people than he is. (Max, 24:45)
 • To Max’s question regarding the most important lessons learned while in the manufactured housing industry, Maria responded that patience is required. That’s necessary because change is constant, and there’s always something new to learn. (Maria, 25:53)
 • Justine observed that the industry is constantly evolving to stay ahead of changing economics or cultural changes. For example, when the economy is on a downswing, park operators will offer more in the way of home rentals rather than sales. It’s critical to be able to evolve with the industry because that’s how to stay profitably in business and survive the changes. (Justine, 26:44)
 • Maria thinks one advantage women might have is their sense of flexibility. They really can change with the times and adapt to changing conditions. (Maria, 28:57)
 • Kathryn is pleasantly surprised at how gorgeous today’s manufactured homes are. It’s not like the stereotype at all. (Kathryn, 29:27)
 • On the subject of business role models for women, Maria said that Leslie Gooch and Paula Reeves are among the industry insiders who made the greatest impression on her, but that there were many others as well. These included bankers, association insiders, and too many others to mention. She also name-dropped Justine in this category. (Maria, 30:33)
 • Justine mentioned Maria as one of her mentors through her activism in the associations and her ability as a “connector,” someone who can bring people together and inspire networking. She’s also done a lot to provide home ownership lending for community residents. Justine is also impressed with the leadership of WAMH and how they’ve encouraged women in the business. (Justine, 31:48)
 • Justine is also impressed with Dr. Vrnka Boykin as a role model for women in business leadership. She addresses such topics as work-life balance for women. (Justine, 33:15)
 • Kathryn takes inspiration from Brene Brown, a speaker and influencer from outside of the industry. Brown speaks in a communication style. Kathryn also sees Sara Blakely, the Spanx founder, as a role model.
 • Max’s final question was on trends or developments that might shape the future of the industry for women. Justine mentioned the increased number of women buying and operating communities. She thinks that, as this happens, women will create more of a focus on creating clean, safe, affordable housing rather than just maximizing the bottom line. (Justine, 35:03)
 • Maria felt that need to do more in the way of getting the word out on the high quality of the manufactured homes available today. Home ownership is the American Dream. And it really is readily available through manufactured homes. (Maria, 36:44)
 • WAMH is an organization run by women, but not exclusively for women. Men are members, too. Today the organization has about 400 members. (Justine, (Justine, 40:27)
 • WAMH has had a variety of educational classes for members on subjects as diverse as trends in technology and automation to pet screening. The goal is to educate park owners on the latest trends and developments in the industry. (Maria, 41:35)
 • The Mobile Home Park Broker sees plenty of opportunity for men and women in the industry. Please call Max Baker at The MHP Broker, (678) 932-0200 and we’ll help you find a qualified buyer and an optimal sale price.You can also drop us a line at info@themhpbroker.com.
 
Power Quotes in This Episode:
 
“...you;re working with people’s livelihoods, right? I mean, if you make a mistake for the business, you’ve got employees and clients and all sorts of people that you have to answer to. So yeah, being able to put a plan in place is very important.” (Justine, 11:07)
 
“I think there really isn’t a glass ceiling any longer for women in this industry if they are strong business women that are ready to jump in and be assertive and get to know everyone.” (Maria, 19:57)
 
“I think (manufactured housing) isa fantastic solution for affordable housing, and it surprises me that it doesn’t get more attention…I have learned that the homes are absolutely gorgeous.” (Kathryn, 29:27)
 
“I think women will continue to have the thought process of advancing the industry forward, making sure it’s clean, safe, affordable housing for families, and things like that.” (Justine, 35:03)

The MHP Brokers Tips and Tricks Podcast Interview with 3 Female Leaders in the Manufactured Home Park Industry in Recognition of International Women’s Day

In this episode of The MHP Broker’s Tips and Tricks podcast, Maxwell Baker, president of The Mobile Home Park Broker, briefly interviewed company broker Jeff Dodge regarding his closing of an expansive Tallahassee, Florida mobile home park.
 
 As with every Tips and Tricks podcast episode, this one is brought to you by The MHP Broker's proprietary Community Price Maximizer. Use this four-step system to get the highest price possible for your mobile home park or RV community when you sell it through The MHP Broker. Guaranteed. Call Max for details.
 
 Here Are the Show Highlights:
 
 Jeff explained that one potential challenge to this Tallahassee Mobile Home Park Estates deal was that the owners lived in another state and weren’t present during most of the transaction. In fact, it was their physical distance from the park that motivated their decision to sell, and to invest the proceeds closer to their home. (Jeff, 1:04) • This transaction proves the point that The MHP Brokers can transact a sale whether or not the owners are present, from running drones to calculate footage to handling the underwriting and all contact with buyers. (Max, 1:278)
 • The park had 90 percent occupancy, with 20 lots on about 15.5 acres. There were 11 tenant-owned homes and 8 park-owned homes, with one unoccupied home and one vacant lot. Being part of the thriving major city of Tallahassee and having city water and paved roads throughout, and plenty of room for expansion on those fifteen city acres, there was a lot of buyer interest. As a result, there were multiple offers, and the one they went with was a buyer who owned other parks in the area, and the brokers had worked with him in the past. The buyer was able to get bank financing, and the deal closed promptly. (Jeff, 2:06)
 • Well, there was one little hitch. A lawyer forgot to include his fee, so MHP Broker had to do a little price haggling at the end. That proved a little harrowing for a while, but it all worked out fine in the end. (Max, 2:58)
 • What Jeff learned (or relearned) from the transaction was that unforeseen issues can come up at any time. Sometimes you have to be creative, but the issues can all be dealt with if you think it out, and the transaction caan close to everyone’s satisfaction. (Jeff, 3:30)
 • The Mobile Home Park Broker won’t let your deal go south. They’ve got tons of experience keeping deals on track and closing to the satisfaction of all parties. And you don’t even have to be on the scene while they handle your transaction. So reach out to Jeff Dodge, Max Baker or other team members
 • 
 at The MHP Broker, (678) 932-0200. Or drop them a line at info@themhpbroker.com. 
 Power Quotes in This Episode:
 
 “We had a little bit of drama at the closing when one of our attorneys forgot to add his fee, so we had to negotiate that out a little bit. Everybody got a little fluffy-tailed, but ultimately, Jeff was able to do the negotiation and get that closing. So yeah, it was a little scary there at the end, because everybody was getting all up in hands about it, but we were able to get it done.” (Max, 2:58)
 
“Even though issues can arise any time up until closing…we can always find a good resolution and…sometimes we have to get creative. You know, those things can come up at any point and you have to be ready to overcome (them).” (Jeff, 3:30)
 
“I'll just say that we're able to get to the finish line, and both parties were happy with the outcome eventually, and (to) everybody out there listening, we typically can find the right buyer for you. So, just give us the opportunity.” (Jeff, 3:58)
 
“We can get funding. We can find the buyer. We can make the experience white-glove for you (the seller).” (Max, 4:07)

The MHP Brokers Tips and Tricks Podcast Interview with The MHP Broker Jeff Dodge About His Recent Tallahassee Mobile Home Park Estates Closing

In this latest episode of The MHP Broker’s Tips and Tricks podcast, Max takes to the microphone all by his lonesome. He’s discussing the very challenging closing of Fort Morgan RV Park in Mobile, Alabama.
 
As with every Tips and Tricks podcast episode, this one is brought to you by The MHP Broker's proprietary Community Price Maximizer. Use this four-step system to get the highest price possible for your mobile home park or RV community when you sell it through The MHP Broker. Guaranteed. Call Max for details.
 
Here Are the Show Highlights:
 
This particular deal had its challenges from the get-go, with plenty of drama involved including personal matters of the sellers that teded to get in the way and slow things down. (Max, 0:22)
 
Fort Morgan RV Park was an ideal community, one located right on the waterfront in Mobile, Alabama. It was a mostly long-term RV community, and perfect for transition to a tiny home community, which was and is the buyer’s intention. It had city water and septic, and the rents were under market rates, so there was room for a revenue boost there. The bid price was pretty close to the list price. Perfect, right? So what was the problem (or problems)? Max, 1:14)
 
For starters, there was another broker involved in the deal, which tended to muddle things down a bit. But a bigger problem was all of the contracts that fell through. The first would-be buyer couldn’t get funding. So a second buyer stepped in with an all-cash offer we were about to accept when the first guy came back with a better offer and said he was ready this time…but not so much. He stll couldn’t make it. At this point we had nothing and assumed the deal was pretty much dead in the water. But then the once-rejected buyer, the one with cash, came back into the picture and Max was able to close with him. That happened a couple of months ago. (Max, 2:00)
 
The Fort Morgan RV Park closing story is a reminder that not all “dead” deals stay that way. If the broker and seller stay patient and flexible, many of these “zombie deals” can actually be brought back to life. (Max, 2:52)
 
Not every transaction goes off without a hitch–and some hitches can be big and ugly ones–but each can come to a satisfactory close if all involved parties work together and are determined to get it done. (Max, 3:27)
 
Let The Mobile Home Park Broker handle all of your deal’s headaches, hitches and drama storms. They’ve pretty much seen it all. Just reach out to Max Baker and his team at The MHP Broker, (678) 932-0200. Or drop ‘em a line at info@themhpbroker.com.
 
Power Quotes in This Episode:
 
“(This deal) was filled up with drama all the way from the beginning to the end.” (Max, 0:22)
 
“A lot of these deals, I call them zombie deals because they die and then they’re resurrected.” (Max, 2:52)
 
“I'm happy that the seller was able to get what they needed out of the deal and finalize their personal matters and I'm just grateful that were able to get it done.” (Max, 2:52)
 
“There's some of these deals like this one, which leave you scratching your head one day and then pulling your hair out the next and then crying gracefully all the way to the closing table…(but) we did get it done. All cash.” (Max, 3:27)

The MHP Brokers Tips and Tricks Podcast, Hosted by The MHP Broker Founder and Co-Owner Maxwell Baker

This show is for Mobile Home Park investors who ARE ON THE QUEST higher yields. If you're a savvy investor who is operating, buying and selling mobile home parks, this show is what you've been waiting for.
 
Each episode is packed full of true tales and battle proven tactics from the trenches. With over a decade experience, your host MaxWELL Baker brings you an inside look at buying and selling mobile home communities like you've never seen before.

The Mobile Home Park Broker's Tips & Tricks To Investing Intro

Buying and selling mobile home parks is a great way to create passive income — if you do it right.
 
The trouble is, there are several tiny factors that are powerful enough to gobble up all your margins and ruin your passive income dreams. 
 
In this episode, I’m revealing the top 3 tips for a seamless mobile home park closing so you can get the passive income you deserve. 
 
Here Are The Show Highlights:
 
 • How to prevent bad apples from guzzling up your earnest money (2:53)
 • Why exceeding a 30-day due diligence period will make your deal blow up in your face (5:16) 
 • The “Calendar Days” trick that helps you close more deals in less time (and prevents you from sabotaging your deals) (7:56) 
 • The surefire way to make sure your closing attorneys don’t wreck your deals — especially if they’ve never closed a mobile home park before (8:24) 
 • How adding prorated rents in your contracts prevents nightmares during closing that can destroy the deal (9:27) 
 
If you’re interested in learning more about the Community Prices Maximizing System that guarantees you’ll get the highest possible price from your mobile park homes, shoot me an email at info@themhpbroker.com or give me a call at 678-932-0200.

How to Close on a Mobile Home Park Seamlessly

A lot of counties have dumb and prejudiced laws about mobile park homes. 
 
But you don’t have to let a stupid law stop you from buying a mobile park community in their county. 
 
There are plenty of ways to get around these ordinances. In this episode, I’m sharing the top 3 tricks that will help you get around weird or illegal county laws. 
 
Here Are The Show Highlights:
 
 • Why wearing business casual clothes dismantles unfair prejudices when meeting with your County Commissioner (2:07) 
 • The aggressive newspaper tactic that “forces” counties opposed to mobile homes park to have no choice but to work with you (4:34) 
 • How one letter from a municipal attorney can make local governments fold in only a few days (7:34) 
 • The “Tiny Homes Trick” that lets you get away with building a mobile home park in places where it’s illegal to do so (9:22) 
 
If you’re interested in learning more about the Community Prices Maximizing System that guarantees you’ll get the highest possible price from your mobile park homes, shoot me an email at info@themhpbroker.com or give me a call at 678-932-0200.

How to Work with Illegal County Ordinances

Finding a mobile home park broker can be tough. Mobile home parks are one of the hardest assets to close on — meaning, if you don’t find the right broker you can sabotage your profits. 
 
But there are simple things you can do that will help you find the best broker for your mobile home park. One that will help you maximize your profits and minimize your headaches. 
 
In this episode, I’m revealing the top 3 tricks to choose a great mobile home park broker. 
 
Here Are The Show Highlights:
 
 • How your gut can save you from working with shady mobile home park brokers (2:19) 
 • How 2 publicly available spreadsheets prevent you from getting scammed the next time you talk to a mobile home park broker (4:03) 
 • Why working with a “jack of all trades” real estate agent can wipe out all your profits from selling your mobile park home (5:23) 
 • 5 questions to ask mobile home park brokers that instantly separates the studs from the duds (7:34) 
 
If you’re interested in learning more about the Community Prices Maximizing System that guarantees you’ll get the highest possible price from your mobile park homes, shoot me an email at info@themhpbroker.com or give me a call at 678-932-0200.

How to Choose a Mobile Home Park Broker to Sell Your Park

Wouldn’t it be nice if buyers chased you around to sell them a deal instead of the other way around? 
 
Well there’s an easy way to do that — and that’s by creating a bond with your buyers and knowing exactly which bells and whistles will them drool. 
 
In this closing cocktail episode, Craig Nielson joins me to reveal how to create this bond and irresistible offer with your buyers so you can close a deal in 45 days (or less). 
 
Here Are The Show Highlights:
 
 • How elementary schools make it easier to close mobile home park deals (1:47) 
 • Why a mobile home park is the “missing ingredient” to building generational wealth (and how to leverage this to close more deals) (3:54) 
 • The “Engagement Bond” that makes buyers chase you instead of the other way around (4:58) 
 • Are you looking to buy a mobile park home? Here’s how to find an off-market deal lickity split (5:44) 
 • Why email is the worst way to communicate if you’re ready to buy a mobile park home (and what to do instead) (6:52) 
 
If you’re interested in learning more about the Community Prices Maximizing System that guarantees you’ll get the highest possible price from your mobile park homes, shoot me an email at info@themhpbroker.com or give me a call at 678-932-0200. 
 
If you’d like to learn more about Craig’s deal or would like to connect with him, send him an email at CNielson@themhpbroker.com.

Closing Cocktail: Craig Nielson

RTO mobile park homes can be a powerful way to add coins to your piggy bank. 
 
The trouble is there are a lot of variables that can wreck your deal. 
 
In this episode, Eric Wanck, a fellow mobile home park broker, joins me to share his story about closing a RTO mobile park home in Arrowood. 
 
Here Are The Show Highlights:
 
 • The 5 most important “closing variables” that help you make an extra 20% during closing (2:39) 
 • How buyer feedback reduces the learning curve for mobile park home RTOs and helps you make more money (5:56)
 • Why email is the worst communication tool when trying to buy a mobile home park (7:59) 
 • How a good mobile park home closing attorney evaporates all the stress during the last couple days of closing (12:32) 
 
If you’re interested in learning more about the Community Prices Maximizing System that guarantees you’ll get the highest possible price from your mobile park homes, shoot me an email at info@themhpbroker.com or give me a call at 678-932-0200. 
 
If you’re looking for a park under $2 million, give Eric a call at 770-668-5448.

Closing Cocktail: Eric Wanck

Building relationships with your clientele is the most effective way to make more money. 
 
Not only does it help you close the initial deal, but many buyers will come back for more deals — if you treat them properly. 
 
In this episode, Ryan Ramseur shares how building a relationship with his buyer helped him close his first mobile home park deal. 
 
Here Are The Show Highlights:
 
 • The most overlooked, yet most effective method for closing more deals (1:39) 
 • How to get your buyers to come back to you for business on demand (3:00) 
 • Why focusing on relationships helps you close deals in 45 days or less (3:42) 
 • The dirt-simple way to put more moolah in your pockets this month (4:48) 
 
If you’re interested in learning more about the Community Prices Maximizing System that guarantees you’ll get the highest possible price from your mobile park homes, shoot me an email at info@themhpbroker.com or give me a call at 678-932-0200. 
 
If you’d like to learn more about Ryan’s deal or would like to connect with him, send him an email at RRamseur@themhpbroker.com.

How to Work with Illegal County Ordinances

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