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COMMUNITY CONSULTANT The Other Side of MH Communities And One That Should Be Discussed Much More BY FRANK ROLFE While re-writing some of our company's mar- keting materials, I recently sent an email out to our managers that I would like some testimoni- als from customers regarding how living in the community has impacted their lives. I was over- whelmed by the responses from our residents. Here's a sample of what you will find from your residents – actual testimonials we have received: "We wanted a place to call home, and a place our kids would be proud to live in" "I would like to say that you have been a blessing to my family. We used to live in an apartment complex, where I would never let my children play outside, due to the violence and drug abuse, that my children would be exposed to. Here I am happy to say that I love the com- munity and people around here. Very quiet and safe for our children to play outside. Living here gives us peace of mind. My 8-year old son told me "mom, when you die, I will keep this house". "Being able to buy my own home is a dream come true…I love being able to step outside and know my neighbors and letting my son play with them. I love the fact that I have my own yard! I can plant the flowers I want finally! I just love my home and cannot wait to fill it with precious memories for my son and I to cherish. Without you we would have ended up renting some cheap apartment!" As you look through these letters, you will see some common themes that they all share: UNHAPPINESS WITH APARTMENTS It is shocking how bad the conditions are in moderately-priced apartments. This aging sec- tion of the U.S. housing stock has become the epicenter of criminal behavior and poor living standards. It is hard to believe that any city or county government would ever criticize manu- factured home communities when they have these things in their area. Aging apartments offer a persistent criminal element milling around all common areas – protected from police interven- tion by limited ways of entry – and complete lack of the major capital expense items needed to OCTOBER 2012 22 THE JOURNAL keep them in usable condition. On top of poor quality, they offer the resident constant noise from all directions (ceiling, floors and walls) and no yard to play in. Basically, living conditions that remove all privacy and self-respect. THE IMPORTANCE OF A YARD Sure, the average manufactured home com- munity lot does not have a sizable yard. But the very existence of a yard at all gives the resident a whole host of additional amenities that apart- ments deprive. These include swing-sets and toys for the kids. A barbeque grill for outdoor cooking. A spot for landscaping. A garden. Most of all, an area for just sitting outside and enjoying nature. THE ABILITY TO HAVE A PET We do not allow large, dangerous breeds of dogs in any of our properties. But there are many pet options outside this one niche. Small dogs, cats – whatever they have at the local pet shop – is no problem in a manufactured home and yard. And pets are very important to people. They give kids a sense of responsibility, and adults a source of amusement and companionship. We do not have a single property with a "no pets" policy, as we know how vital these animals are to our residents' quality of life. PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP One thing that apartments can never offer is the ability to own your own unit. Most people take extreme pride in being a "homeowner" as opposed to a "renter". Being an "owner" means the ability to make any interior or exterior alter- ations they desire – from paint colors to flooring to decks. It means stability and the ability to control your future. And it means that kids can tell people that they own their home and have a sense of permanence. Owning a home is a big part of the American Dream, and manufactured home communities allow people to live to make that dream a reality at a low price. SENSE OF COMMUNITY Residents in any manufactured home commu- nity share one trait – they are neighbors. They share the same goals and aspirations. They want a clean, safe community, with nice common areas respectful neighbors. They develop friends who help them and share both the good and bad times with them. Their kids have neighborhood friends to enjoy time with. This sense of com- munity is very strong in all of our properties, and is a very important part of the residents' quality of life. SO WHY ARE COMMUNITY OWNERS NOT TALKING MORE ABOUT THESE BENEFITS? We have recently started putting a resident testimonial and photo at the bottom of every brochure and letter we produce. We think it's a very important part of what we do – to help peo- ple have a great life. If we all collectively pro- moted how happy our customers are, we would have a larger voice in local and national politics, and more respect from city and county govern- ment. There is certainly no negative to making it known that we are very important to a lot of people. Whether it can alter the SAFE Act, or allow for community expansions, I can't say. But it can definitely improve our public relations and the sentiment that bankers, investors and community owners feel toward the industry. And that's a good thing. CONCLUSION Ask your residents what they honestly think about living in your community. You will be amazed and humbled by the responses. Spread the word to everyone that a manufactured home community is a great place to live and make dreams come true for millions of Americans! T J Frank Rolfe has been a manufactured home community owner for almost two decades, and currently ranks as part of the 28th largest community owner in the United States, with almost 6,000 lots in 17 states in the Great Plains and Midwest. His books and courses on community acquisitions and manage- ment are the top-selling ones in the industry. To learn more about Frank's views on the manufactured home community industry visit www.MobileHomeUniversity.com.