4 Sale Signs in Windows (sort of long) - Posted by Kevin

import · August 18, 2002, 12:06pm

Posted by brad on August 19, 2002 at 11:20:59:

are you just selling the home or are you fixing it up? you may have said but i missed it. if you are fixing it up get some of those magnets for your car/truck put your advertisement on it. leave it generic enough to keep the pm from having a problem with it. at the very least you might come up with a list of people looking. but i bet you will sell it. its also time to sugar coat the p.m. if the park is decent it will sell and pointing out the errors of the p.m.s ways will only keep you paying him rent. nothing could be worse than the red tape you will go through if you pi$$ off the guy who approves your buyers.

import · August 18, 2002, 12:06pm

Posted by Kevin on August 18, 2002 at 12:06:27:

We recently purchased a home in a park that does not allow signs in the windows when trying to sell. The PM offers a centrally located sign near his office and says anyone who puts a sign up will not have any prospective buyers’ applications looked at for 30 days. He claims it drives the prices of homes in his park down with signs in the windows.

This guy is crazy. With all of our other Lonnie Deals, we sell homes in almost no time at all. “Will Finance” is MAGIC and we rarely have to wait longer than one or two months to sell–mostly sell in weeks.

We found in the Michigan MH Commission Act AND one of their rulings that this guy can not do this. The Michigan Commission says he is breaking the law. When we spoke to several of the other residents, they almost all wanted to sell their home at one time or another without any luck because of this issue.

We are going in to meet with the PM on Monday and going to offer him some options (just like Lonnie says, “everybody loves options”).

Let us put a sign up in the Window (without any reparations) and we will keep quite about him breaking the law
We will not put a sign up in the window as long as we do NOT have to pay any lot rent until we sell (and maybe he should reimburse us for the last three months as well) and we will keep quite about him not breaking the law
(if it should get to this) We go ahead and file the written complaint with the Commission (which is clearly stated he is breaking the law). Also, he should make his owners aware we will begin going door to door and requesting anyone who has been trying to sell their home in this park since he has been PM to join the compaint. And finally, he and his owners should expect a summons for them to appear in court to reimburse us for lost sales and additional lot rent (which I am sure many of his curent residents trying to sell would like to join)

By the way, did I mention he buys and sells homes as well. While many of his tenants can not sell for years, he claims he has no problem selling any of his homes through the in-house sales agency he owns and runs.

I am looking for any suggestions of new “options” I could present this guy. Thanks to all for some great postings…

import · September 1, 2002, 6:46pm

Re: 4 Sale Signs in Windows (sort of long) - Posted by Dave

Posted by Dave on September 01, 2002 at 18:46:53:

Just a trial at sumarizing the advice here into a few sentences. The whole issue seems to be, you have lost site of your goal. What will you gain from a sign in the window? Find a buyer thru other ads ("Thrifty Nickel’ papers work great, likewise free on’ine MH listings. And whatever you do, don’t gte involved in petty (and potentially illegal hassles like ‘I’ll keep quiet’ tit-for-tat) arrangements. If he’s breaking the law, he is, but you don’t have the right to break the law also as possibly a co-conspirator. Focus on the money… a sign in the window is worth nothing to your bottom line.

Best Regards
Dave

import · August 22, 2002, 2:04pm

Re: 4 Sale Signs in Windows (sort of long) - Posted by Blane (MI)

Posted by Blane (MI) on August 22, 2002 at 14:04:02:

Not that you need any more input, but IMHO I wouldn’t make waves unless you have somewhere you could move the home to. Otherwise you may sit on it for months, and their lot rent ain’t cheap. I’d just unload it and move on, there’s plenty more parks that are a lot friendlier.

Blane

import · August 19, 2002, 8:59am

Re: 4 Sale Signs in Windows (sort of long) - Posted by Mike

Posted by Mike on August 19, 2002 at 08:59:44:

Be careful about telling someone that you’ll “be quiet about them breaking the law.” That’s sometimes known as extortion, which carries its own penalties. You shouldn’t do anything until you get everything in that park sold. You might try educating him about the law once you have done that, but even then it should be done with kid gloves if you ever want to do another deal there.

import · August 19, 2002, 2:58am

Re: 4 Sale Signs in Windows (sort of long) - Posted by Bob (oh)

Posted by Bob (oh) on August 19, 2002 at 02:58:42:

I agree with Tony on this.
I am a park manager and we dont not allow ANY signs in the YARD. For some silly reason, people think if they see a “FOR SALE” sign in the yard, they get that too, we dont sell our lots, DUH…I have to inspect every home BEFORE it can go up for sale to be sure it is up to “park standards”. Once it is finished and I re-insepct to be sure then they can put a sign in the WINDOW. I went round and round with the property manager about one that had no windows that face the road. He said “not my problem”. Anyway, you should do the best you can to get this guy on your side even if you have to bit your lip until you are able to sell. If you cant get him to work with you then do what ever you can to avoid a urinating contest. Once you do sell, then its up to you on the recourse to decide to take. When you find another park, be sure to do your DD before you get into another situation like this.
I dont know about the laws in your community, but here our park is considered to be private property. The owner can do almost anything as long as it does not affect the health and safety of our residents. If I’m wrong, someone from Ohio, please let me know.
Good luck !
Bob

import · August 18, 2002, 7:09pm

Re: 4 Sale Signs in Windows (sort of long) - Posted by Jeff Short

Posted by Jeff Short on August 18, 2002 at 19:09:36:

Maybe I am stating the obvious…

… but if you can’t put a sign in the window, why not a sign in the yard?

import · August 18, 2002, 6:16pm

Every problem is an opportunity in disguise … - Posted by Jerry Freeman

Posted by Jerry Freeman on August 18, 2002 at 18:16:22:

… if you just look for it.

I agree with Tony that what you’re considering would be a lot of effort and headaches for not much benefit (if any, or you may even end up with a worse situation than you have now, as a result of your “winning” your argument with the PM).

On the other hand, if the park doesn’t allow “for sale” signs, you will have much less competition for your prospective customers’ attention. Take Tony’s advice and figure out how to market in other ways. You’ll have an advantage over every other seller in that park when you figure it out. I would also suggest that you look for ways to make friends with the PM, rather than picking a fight. If you can figure out how to make his life easier, rather than being a thorn in his side, you’ll have a much more enjoyable business experience and you’ll make a lot more money.

Best wishes,
Jerry

P.S. Around here, most of the parks also buy and sell homes. Many of them are quite friendly to people like us doing deals in their parks, nonetheless. It may vary from region to region.

import · August 18, 2002, 1:31pm

You are swimming up stream - Posted by Tony-VA

Posted by Tony-VA on August 18, 2002 at 13:31:19:

Sure you could raise caine and report this manager, take him to court etc., but how do you think that is going to help you sell the home your already purchased in that park?

Remember one of the primary ingredients to successful lonnie deals is a good relationship with the park manager.

Your posts reads as though you bought first, then started to try and work with the PM. This can be a craps shoot.

Since you already have this home, I would concentrate upon selling it and not forcing the deal down the PM’s throat. If you hammer the PM, you will find that this home sits for quite some time until you get a tenant approved. Yes, you may well be in the right but the costs may not make it worth your while to fight it, at least not while you have a home for sale in that park.

The first sign of trouble for me is when you have a pm or park owner who is buying and selling homes also. This is their private playground and they have little incentive to let you in.

As a Lonnie dealer, our value is greatest to the pm’s and park owners who do not invest in the homes. They just want the lot rent. We solve vacany problems, plain and simple. If this park already feels that they have someone to do that for them (the PM) and they are getting it done, then you hold little value to the owner, and stand as a competitor to the pm.

Swim downstream in a different park where your services are both needed and valuable.

Should you decide to bang heads with this pm, you might at least wait until that home is sold and paid for.

For now, get your “will finance” message across by other means than a sign. Actually this is a good chance for you to develope alternative marketing methods. Not all parks sell well with just signs in the window. Some parks do not get sufficient drive through traffic to sell homes quickly. Business cards placed where your target market can find them (same “Will Finance” message), flyers, thrifty nickle ads, and word of mouth (knock on neighbors doors) are all techniques you need to employ when the going gets tough on some houses. Treat this as a learning experience and move on.

Best Wishes,

Tony-VA

import · January 10, 2010, 7:20am

better than signs… - Posted by kevin

Posted by kevin on January 10, 2010 at 08:20:21:

If that’s the only problem you have with the PM let it go, jeez. The best advertising you can do anyway is letting the neighbors know it is for sale and for how much. They’ll sell it for you. They’ll much prefer to help sell it to someone they know than worry about who is going to be their new neighbor.

import · August 19, 2002, 10:32pm

Great Post!!! (nt) - Posted by Joe C. (AR)

Posted by Joe C. (AR) on August 19, 2002 at 22:32:00:

!