Georgia Park with high extremely high vacancy

[Tyler Hardy]

I'm a beginner to REI and I've been bitten by the mobile home bug. I've evaluated a ton of properties and even started getting an investor involved in one park so see if we can make a deal. I called on a park here in my area (that I don't think is a good enough deal to move forward on) I stumbled on another park right next door from an areal view. The first thing I noticed about the park was the large number of vacant pads and an extreme lack of cars parked next to the existing homes. I rode out and took a look for myself and I was right. This is about a 100 pad park that seams to only have around 10-15 tenants.

My first thought on this realization was, "this is a huge value add" then the numbers stated to add up in my head on costs of tear outs, remodels, marketing, utilities, and all of the other costs of in-fill. I've tracked down the phone number to the owner and I'm calling today to see if they are interested in selling. 

My question to everyone is this. Should I be concerned with such a high vacancy rate (we're talking 90%+)? I see a huge opportunity once it's filled (if bought for the right price) but I also see my expenses shooting through the roof. In my quick drive by I counted as many as 20 homes that would most likely be need to be removed and at least 20-30 vacant lots. Does anyone else see the potential I see? What questions should I be asking the owner here? Does this even sound like a park that a new investor should be going after?

[Tyler Hardy]

@Rachel H. The area has a demand for housing in this area because of the growth in the industrial market here. I actually work for Fastenal in Macon so I can tell you that there are as many as 5 plants looking to hire between 100 and 500 people each. The school systems are not great in this area but it has still shown a draw to lower/middle income earners over the last few years. This has made the Macon, GA market attractive for investors. I've actually helped out a few out of town BP members that needed on "on the ground" intel on the area. 

@Shawn Nachurski Glad to hear you've found the niche as well. I wasn't planning on MHP's but I kind of stumbled into it and it's got me interested. I'd love to pick your brain on a few points about the "turn around" park, and the turn key. I've debated which way I needed to go when starting into this and you may be able to answer a few questions I have. If you don't mind talking on the phone for a little while at some point, send me over a PM and give you my contact info. 

Thank you both for your reply!