When you operate a mobile home park, problems come with the territory. Sometimes it’s one tenant. Sometimes it’s one home. And sometimes—it’s the entire damn community relying on you to make things right.
I knew what I was signing up for when I got into the value-add side of this business. You’re dealing with the worst of the worst. Broken infrastructure, trashed homes, unreliable tenants, old systems duct-taped together. You take it on knowing there’s opportunity… and headaches.
Wenona Estates in Georgia was no exception. We took it over and hauled out nineteen dumpsters worth of trash. Evicted two-thirds of the residents. We were knee-deep in repairs and constantly wrestling with plumbing and septic issues.
And then the water line blew.
The Text You Don’t Want on a Sunday Night
It was about 7:30 PM on a Sunday. I was winding down, just about to call it a night, when my phone buzzed.
It was the former park manager, someone who’d stepped back after the sale but still helps us out from time to time. She sent a photo of the park entrance, and I could see it clear as day: water rushing down the main street like a river.
“Main water line busted.”
“I called the people.”
That’ll snap you awake real quick.
The Scramble Begins
She was trying to reach the city to get the water shut off. I started pulling up every number I could find—city, county, emergency, whatever. Nothing. No answer anywhere.
Luckily, she had a connection. A local sheriff, a friend of hers, got through to someone who could shut it down. At 8:10, she texted me again:
“Ok city here. Not on city side—it’s on your side.”
“They turned it off.”
Translation? It’s our problem now.
I called my plumber. He couldn’t come out till the morning—too dark, supply stores closed, nothing he could do that night.
Damage Control Overnight
As expected, tenants started messaging the office, frustrated that the water was off. We responded to everyone right away, letting them know what happened and that we were on it first thing in the morning.
Next morning, the city came back out, flipped the water on just long enough for my plumber to trace the leak. The break was just a few feet from the backflow preventer—a pipe coming out of the big concrete meter box had split under the weight of the wet clay.
Quick background:
We had recently disconnected from a private well and hooked up to city water. That meant a new meter at the entrance, a backflow preventer, and 300+ feet of new pipe to connect into the park’s existing system.
But Georgia had been slammed with storms, and that rain had shifted everything underground. The weight of the heavy Georgia clay finally cracked an elbow joint coming out the meter pit.
The Search for an Excavator
The plumber couldn’t dig the hole deep enough by hand to get to the pipe. We needed an excavator.
I started calling vendors. The guy I normally use was hours away, stuck on another job. Others were either unavailable or a day out of being able to help. The only crew I had ready was my handyman and his guys. They were about to start hand-digging the whole thing with shovels.
That’s the kind of people I have on my team—do whatever it takes. I am grateful for them.
Just before I gave them the green light, I tried one last vendor. A guy who worked on our old well system. More of a commercial-grade contractor—but he had the equipment and knew the park. He was 30 minutes away and said he’d push back his other job to come help.
That saved us.
Meanwhile… Tension Builds
We kept fielding angry calls and texts from residents. Some were understanding. Others? Not so much. It’s wild how quick people assume you just don’t care. Like we were sitting around ignoring the problem while they had no water. Or that we shut it off on purpose, just to cause chaos!
To make things right, I looked into getting water delivered—jugs, cases, something to help them flush toilets and cook. Before I could pull the trigger, the old manager stepped up again. She worked at a place that had a huge IBC tote she could fill up and bring over.
She did exactly that. Residents were able to come fill jugs and buckets, get by for the day.
That gesture meant a lot. It also showed that even in a rough park, there’s community. People helping people.
Fix It, Break It, Fix It Again
By late afternoon, the trench was dug, and the plumber got to work. They fixed the broken connection, filled the hole, turned the water back on.
Victory, right?
Nope.
As soon as they filled it in, the pressure cracked the joint again. So they had to dig it out a second time, replace it, and leave the hole open.
At 6:30 PM, we got the park’s water back. I was flooded with texts—thank-yous, relief, people happy to finally shower.
Then another leak popped up further down the line.
We had to shut it back off. Stores were closed. No way to get parts.
We let everyone know we jumped the gun and had to turn it off again. But the emergency tote was still on site, and we asked folks to bear with us just a little longer.
Some did. Others cussed us out.
Finally, Water Restored
Next morning by lunchtime, the new section was repaired and water was back—for real this time.
It took almost two full days. We didn’t lose any residents. But it could’ve gone sideways fast. One thing’s for sure—this is not passive income.
The Lesson
Operating mobile home parks isn’t for the faint of heart.
We’ve had trees fall on homes. Septic tanks fail. Squatters. criminal activity. Rats infestations. Dogs attack residents. Death threats. And now—multi-day water outages. This business will test your patience, your decision-making, and your ability to keep cool when things fall apart.
But this is what separates a real operator from someone chasing yield on a spreadsheet.
If you don’t have the right vendors, if you don’t have someone on the ground, and if you can’t solve problems fast—it can wreck your P&L, drive tenants out, or worse… kill a deal’s long-term potential.
But when residents see you show up—when they know you care and you get things fixed the right way—they stick with you. They deal with the rent increases, the rules, the changes.
Because they know it’s going somewhere.
That’s how good operators turn bad deals into solid wins. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
This community—like our others—isn’t stabilized yet. But every problem we’ve faced, and the ones still to come, shape us. They mold our management company into one investors can trust with their retirement and capital. And just as important, into a company that builds real communities—places residents are proud to call home.
This is mobile home park ownership. The good, the bad, and the ugly. But it’s ours. And we’re built for it.
LOCK N’ LOAD
-The MHP Operator
Disclaimer:
This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Any investment opportunity will be made only through official offering documents provided by Realovative Asset Management LLC in accordance with applicable securities laws.I’m not a financial advisor, CPA, or attorney. Everything shared here is based on my personal experience and opinions. You should always do your own due diligence and speak with licensed professionals before making any legal, financial, or investment decisions.
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