Articles

The wind and hail months are here. It’s the time of year insurance companies, property owners, and business owners dread. Historically, one half of all wind and hail losses in the U.S. outside the coastal areas occur between April 1st and June 30th.

The best way to make sure that your mobile home is protected from the perils of Mother Nature and the weirdest of circumstances is by purchasing mobile home insurance. Mobile home insurance acts a little similar to homeowners insurance in the sense that it protects the structure of the mobile home, but its coverage overall is very different.

One of the questions each of us has to ask ourselves as we approach the new millenium, is - Will your company go with a one price policy or will you stay with the traditional wheel and deal system? Most articles you see today are in favor of one price systems but before you make your final decision, here are some factors you might consider.

One issue that many dealers feel strongly about is the image they project to customers. That is why the question of whether they should lock the homes on display or leave them open for unattended viewing is so important. We have surveyed our clients and want to report the pros and cons that dealers across the country told us they have found over the years

As we travel around the country working with all types of companies in the industry, it seems that the companies with the most stable sales forces are by far the most profitable. That means if you are constantly turning over your sales people, you are losing more than staff, you are losing a lot of money. Now, more than ever, dealers need to look at ways to recruit and keep a winning sales team.

Many companies in our industry are under-staffed in the sales department and do not realize it. Not only does this cost the dealer sales and profits, it shifts all the power from the company to the sales people. Many members of your sales staff want you to be understaffed. It gives them several advantages.

Keeping track of the complex details involved in property management can be overwhelming. However, a reliable computer software that combines all the different components needed (accounting, spreadsheets, word processing, utilities, management functions) can become a manager’s best friend!

Many first-time and experienced commercial real estate investors are turning to mobile home parks for strong returns on their investment. Parks tend to have higher CAP rates than apartments and have similar stability with lower expense ratios. There is an endless demand for affordable housing in just about every market in the country and manufactured housing meets the needs of low to moderate income tenants.

The following list contains recommendations from a number of agencies that are hired by insurance carriers to survey Mobile Home Parks. By following their recommendations, hazards or potential hazards in a park can be reduced.

Here are some great tips if you've ever had questions about whether or not to file a claim. For your convenience, I summarized the important points from a recent article in The Atlanta Journal Constitution.