7 Things You DON’T Want To Hear When Hiring A Mobile Home Park Manager

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If you’re a mobile home investor, you may find yourself looking into buying an entire mobile home park. That’s exciting. But it’s important to understand that you can’t do this by yourself. You’ll want a helping hand in running a tight ship.

And you’ll find just that in a mobile home park manager. Say farewell to the idea of finding yourself anchored to your park. With a mobile home park manager, you have someone you can trust to solve your park’s problems during the day-to-day activities of park life. And you’ll also have someone available for unexpected major issues too. You never know when disaster may strike such as sewage problems or electrical issues. 

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But how do you find that ideal mobile home park manager? And how do you steer clear of the ones that are far from ideal?

Well, to help you along, we’ve detailed seven things you don’t want to hear when hiring a mobile home park manager.

7 Things you DON’T want to hear

To be sure, some of these phrases won’t be said, but they’ll be implied if you listen close enough and ask the right questions. For example, if someone seems apathetic when you explain any problems with the park, you may surmise that he or she is not a problem-solver. You won’t hear them say “I’m not a problem-solver,” but that may well be your takeaway based on observation.

1 – “I’m not a people person.”

First on our list is “I’m not a people person.” If you hear these words, it’s time to run in the other direction. This is not what you want to hear from a potential mobile home park manager. 

After all, they’ll be living in your mobile home park and interacting with your tenants. You need someone who has empathy and isn’t a pushover — a good balance will mean success for park management. 

2 – “I hate confrontation.”

If you detect some form of this idea or hear your interviewee make this statement, it’s not a good sign. You need a park manager who is willing to grab a problem by the horns. Is a tenant behind on rent? Are tenants or guests trashing the park or violating the park policies on junk and litter?

Your mobile home park manager will need the people skills and backbone to confront your tenants in a safe and respectful manner. 

A woman covering her eyes with her hands

3 – “I don’t want to live in the mobile home park.”

Now if the potential mobile home park manager tells you they don’t want to live in the park, that is also bad news. It’s in your best interests to insist that your park manager lives among your tenants — and lives in a mobile home. 

This will ensure that they are available and ready to deal with the problems that arise. It will also allow them to see and understand what mobile home park life is like. This is an important way to make sure your park residents get the best service possible.

4 – “What are the office hours?”

There are no office hours when it comes to the role of a mobile home park manager. So if your potential mobile home park manager is thinking that there are set hours, it’s time to have a chat about your vision. If they’re not on board with it, it’s not going to be a good fit. Trust us.

A mobile home park manager never knows when he or she will be called upon to grapple with a broken pipe or backed up sewage. Or when they’ll be asked to properly deal with an unwelcome animal on the premises. They’re on call at all hours.

5 – “I’m not organized.”

If your potential mobile home park manager is not organized, that’s a warning sign. You need a park manager who can keep tabs on rent, warnings, utilities, payroll, maintenance schedules, and more. 

6 – “Can we skip the background check?”

Does your prospective park manager want to skip a criminal background check? That’s not a good sign. If they seem to want to skip this step, that should certainly be a red flag. If you intend to run background checks on your mobile home park manager, don’t let him or her slide out of getting one.

Person wearing a hoodie

7 – “I’m not a problem solver.”

If your mobile home park manager is not a problem solver, that may turn into a problem of its own. Do yourself a favor and stay away from the potential hassle. You need a park manager who will use their head to troubleshoot and seek solutions when problems arise. 

Take the time to list

In the interview process, take the time to listen and let your potential park manager speak. Ask probing questions as you go on a walking tour of the mobile home park. 

We hope these questions will help you understand what you DON’T want to hear when hiring a mobile home park manager.

Learn more from our article How to Manage a Mobile Home Park and Find a Great Manager.

About EZ Homes Design Team

The team behind the scenes at EZ Homes. Bringing you fresh ideas about mobile home lifestyle and design.





Written by EZ Homes Design Team

The team behind the scenes at EZ Homes. Bringing you fresh ideas about mobile home lifestyle and design.

April 27, 2021

 

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