Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/283550
APRIL 2014 20 THE JOURNAL What do you think about the recent "in- vestigative" report on Rolfe and Reynolds m/h Boot Camp which was attended by and writ- ten about by Gary Rivin "The Cold Hard Times of Mobile Home Park U" as published in the New York Times - (http:// nyti.ms/1heLE5s)? Dan. H., Escondido CA. Well Dan, it certainly brewed up a maelstrom of comments in a number of Internet circles, by so called "industry experts", not withstanding lengthy comments on Linkedin's thread in: Mo- bile Home Park Investors. It's a good read for those who have the time. No doubt the author took advantage of re- porting on some of the more outrageous com- ments by the seminar leaders, perhaps to drum up more interest in his article, for which many in the business predictably, strongly objected to. For those who haven't attended their excel- lent investor programs, the seminar focuses pri- marily on the investment aspects of all age family m/h land lease communities, with some refer- ences to other community types such as age 55+ age restricted resort style communities. And, of course, attendees are invited to participate in one or more of the leader's "investment" opportuni- ties. Taking advantage of the general population's on-going misinformation on "trailer parks", "mobile home parks", and "manufactured home land lease communities" Reporter Rivin revives much of the common beliefs and negative issues which continue to plague our industry. And, to be honest, I think he did a pretty good job of en- tertaining us through his eyes as an uninformed but objective observer. Some say it is all bad, and that we shouldn't support the promotion of the negatives (I am not sure how you can stop it short of some form cen- sorship). Like P.T. Barnum, I believe that any publicity positive and negative can be good for business, if dealt with carefully. Those who do it well are called: publicists and they dwell in pub- lic relations firms. We can't control the negative. That's the thing some industries with widely believed nega- tive images are missing today. They think they can control the messaging ... and they can't. But we can use it and make a good story about the status quo of home quality, community liv- ing, home strength and quality, and in my opin- ion, the "real" independent thinking residents of land lease communities. That's what matters. Ever notice that the better salespersons aren't al- ways those with the most product knowledge, but seem to be those who can engender excitement in their customers as they relate positive aspects of their products. There's an old advertising expression "if you can't fix it, feature it". Many a successful ad- vertising campaign has been successful by first showing the negative, although sometimes in an exaggerated fashion, and dealing with the reality, ending in a positive note. When in mixed company (m/h supporters and non-supporter ignorant ones), and I encounter an obviously negative comment, I retort: "that's what some (read ignorant) people think". Then I happily can trot out the many positive aspects of our homes and communities: high standards of construction and foundation systems, our over- all safety record, percentage of all new, rural sin- gle family housing, lower total housing costs, more efficient land use, environmentally con- tained factory building systems, better use of building materials, lower environmental pollu- tion through minimal transportation of materials to/from the building site, etc. As one who has been a retailer, manufacturer, financier, book author, columnist, seminar in- structor, home inventor, and developer of m/h communities over the past 45 years, when deal- ing with the uninformed, I can assure you, the negative issues aren't going away by themselves. Prospective buyers must be taught, very honestly and carefully taught. In an retail sales situation, some might find a way to subtly bring the subject up indirectly, and discuss the real issues: am I or my family more likely to be seriously hurt if I am living in a m/h due to their unsubstantiated lower quality con- struction, propensity for fires, and the mythical tornado magnets built into the floors", am I going to be able to build equity over the years or will the value of my home depreciate, and lastly and probably more important: what will my family and friends think of me now that I am living in a m/h? Virtually no one is going to seriously consider living in a m/h in a land lease community until these issues are discussed and at least partly as- suaged to the buyer's satisfaction. I personally love the discussions which are be- ginning to come out of Rivin's article among those of us who have been in the industry for many, many years, and have buried our heads in the sand when it comes to addressing our indus- try's negative publicity. No doubt, he has single handedly brought several issues to the forefront for us to recognize, and given us an opportunity to bring out the best in our creativity for real, viable solutions. After working for many years with all types of commu- nity owners, investors, manufacturers, and sup- pliers, I believe the creative potential is out there. This kind of stimulus, albeit negative in parts, may help us come up with some real, prac- tical solutions. I have always been in favor of an positive alternative to the Canadian film "Trailer Park Boys" showing the positive reality of m/h land lease community living which is so rich and loving in character as a significant part of the American household tapestry. Edward Hicks, Principal Consultant of CRG, Inc., has specialized in work- ing with retailers, developers, community owners, and investors for the past 45 years, nationally, in the structuring, marketing, and financing of their land lease communities. He has a monthly featured column "Ask Eddie" in the Journal of Manufactured Housing. His websites are: www.mobile- homepark.com, www.factorybuilthome.com, and www.fha207m.com. He may be reached at 813 300-6150 and his e-mail is easteddie@aol.com Ask Eddie BY ED HICKS DEVELOPMENT MARKETING T J