Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/303813
MAY 2014 24 THE JOURNAL Why The Article About Us In The New York Times Set Off Such A Fury BY FRANK ROLFE COMMUNITY CONSULTANT If you haven't heard about it already, the New York Times wrote a large article about my partner Dave Reynolds, and I, a few weeks ago. The writer contacted us seven months ear- lier, and we gave him complete access to our company and to our communities, culminating in him spending several days living in our com- munity in Pontoon Beach, Illinois. He was writing an article on how to address the afford- able housing crisis in the U.S. What he found was a business model in which investors achieved high returns while, at the same time, the residents were delighted with the quality of our product – a classic win/win. However, al- though our residents and investors are happy, there were others out there that were enraged by the whole article. The reality of vernacular and SEO The first complaints from inside our industry were from the writer's use of the terms "mobile home" and "trailer" throughout the article. The reality, of course, is that these are the terms that any New York Times reader is going to use for our product. If you're trying to sell newspa- pers, it's probably a good idea to use the ver- nacular of your readers. In addition, those are the terms that are required for the purposes of SEO. One of the most vocal complainers was a guy who, upon a quick glance at his own web- site, uses the word "mobile home" throughout - - more of the naming hypocrisy that I have written about in the Journal several times now. There is a group of people who think that capitalism is a four letter word It's a free country. But maybe it's free is be- cause we are a capitalist country, and not founded on socialism or communism. As a re- sult, the posts by readers of the Times were pretty shocking; most finding moral outrage that we would possibly be trying to make money as a business. Why raise the rent when you could lower it? Why evict when you could just let res- idents live on for free? Apparently, these folks did not realize that the whole point of business is to make money. It's a good thing none of them run a company, or maybe some of them do and that's what keeps bankruptcy attorneys in business. Managers are great – but give me a break Some industry folks were upset that I was quoted as saying that a Walmart employee could be a successful manager. Well, that's exactly what the Times reporter found in our commu- nity in Arnold, Missouri, in which the manager was formerly a Walmart employee for several decades. Is there something I'm missing here? I did not know that community managers have to hold an MBA. Maybe that's what those signs that refer to "Community College" are really talking about? No frills does not mean low quality When I fly on Southwest Airlines, I get a great product at a low price. They were the in- ventor of no-frills flying. Before Southwest, airlines served hot lunches. Southwest throws you peanuts. But their ticket prices are a frac- tion of the other carriers, and people flock to fly on their planes (which is why they are com- pletely sold out on almost every flight I take). When we do not offer amenities, we do not do this to create a lesser lifestyle. We do it because they are not needed by 90% of our residents, who would prefer lower rent instead. Are laun- dry rooms needed when virtually all residents have washers and dryers in their homes? Do we really need a swimming pool when only a hand- ful of residents ever jump in? Do we really need to have a clubhouse for that one, annual rental for a party? We think that people appreciate the concept of conservation and paying only for what they use. Some folks in this industry just hate everything Of course, the prime lesson learned was that some industry insiders just hate anything that does not have their name on it, or a way for them to make a few bucks from it. The most vocal haters were people who were trying to hock their own goods and services in their com- mentary, including one person who used their trademark and website throughout all of their posts. While forums were meant for free discus- sion of ideas, many industry folks have turned them into Craigslist. Conclusion Personally, we were delighted with the arti- cle in the New York Times, and thought that it gave a very accurate portrayal to the affordable housing crisis and how it can be solved with manufactured home communities. The feed- back we received from everyone we work with, from conduit lenders to skirting vendors, was extremely positive. However, to those who are unhappy that we have built a giant business by making our residents and investors happy at the same time, we can only suggest that you go back to the grocery store and see if you can find some grapes that are less sour. We would also like to thank Gary Rivlin, the writer for the New York Times, for keeping an open mind and putting in the time and research needed to show what we do accurately. Frank Rolfe has been a manufactured home com- munity owner for almost two decades, and currently ranks as part of the 15th largest community owner in the United States, with more than 10,000 lots in 17 states in the Great Plains and Midwest. His books and courses on community acquisitions and management are the top-selling ones in the industry. To learn more about Frank's views on the manu- factured home community industry visit www.Mo- bileHomeUniversity.com. T J