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JOHN BURNS CONSULTING
fore it fails can slow down corro- sion inside the tank and extend the life of the water heater. For colder climates, pipes near exterior walls will need to be insulated. Teach your ten- ants to be proactive in keeping the pipes from freezing when a cold snap is forecast: they should open cabinet doors below the sink and keep faucets on a slow drip to keep the water flowing through the pipes. Lastly, if any of your properties is vacant during this season, shut the water off at the street and drain the system to avoid any pipes bursting or vandals causing additional damage while going after copper pipes. WANT MORE HELP? Visit ALPS on the web! www. affinitylps.com was created just for investors, property managers and renters—you! We share ways to protect your property and give you a toolbox of products and resources to get the job done. Check out the latest articles, checklists, product reviews and discounts, and participate by joining our newsletter or property manager list and sharing’ your loss prevention stories with us. Here’s to a wonderful holiday season for you and yours! •
a two-bedroom home. The target market is Baby Boomers, including full-time residents and second-home owners. The builder offers a three-night “stay and play” special at a sister com- munity to introduce prospects to the community lifestyle. HONORABLE MENTION: SIDE YARD RV SPACE—THE OLD STANDBY Many new home builders plot homes with a side yard space with the room to accom- modate an RV on a lot (typically
at least 15 feet). In many cases, it’s as simple as just making sure the side yard space is wide enough and that the driveway configuration is such that an RV can be pulled into the side yard. (If you go this sure, include enough room for slide-outs.) New home projects advertising “room for RV parking” can stand out from the competition. With more and more Americans owning RVs, builders have the opportunity to design homes and commu- nities that accommodate RVs and set themselves apart from the competition. •
> Continued from :: PG 115 Seasonal Safety tenant will treat your proper- ty? If there is something that you need the tenant to sign, turn that into an opportunity to visit the person’s current residence. Even if you aren’t able to view the inside, the outside of a person’s house can be a good indicator of the care he or she invests there. As for rodents and other pests, be on the lookout for holes or cracks that a critter can crawl through. Did you know that mice can enter through a hole the size of a dime? If you haven’t already re- sealed the windows and doors this season, get caulking! NO. 9 CANDLES AND INDOOR DECORATIONS Decrease the risk of fire from an unattended candle by encouraging tenants to use battery-powered ones. Many candles on the market today imitate the natural light of a flame without the fire risk. The NFPA also recom- mends placing trees and other decorations 3 feet or more from fireplaces and other heat sources. Check light strings for signs of exposed wires or other signs of deterioration, and avoid linking too many strings of lights together. Keep it to three for “mini-string” sets and 50 lights if using a string with screw-in bulbs. NO. 10 PLUMBING Investing in an area where it never freezes? Your plumbing systemwill still need attention. Water heaters require annual maintenance. Draining the tank once a year to remove sediment and replacing the anode rod be-
RealValue inServingRVs SHELTER SPECIFICALLY FOR RVS CAN BE A STRONG SELLING POINT FOR BUYERS OF SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES.
by Pete Reeb
T
he RV industry is on pace for a record number of shipments this year. The Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) estimates more than 400,000 RVs will be delivered in 2016. That includes travel trailers, fifth-wheel trailers, truck campers, folding camper trailers and motor homes. About 9 million RVs are now on the road in the United States, and an estimated 8 percent to 9 percent of all U.S. households now own an RV. New high-end motor homes can easily cost $100,000, $200,000, $300,000 or more—a sizable investment that you don’t necessarily New home builders have come up with at least four solutions for buyers who want to keep their RVs close to home—and investors interested in providing this amenity to their tenants: NO. 1 RV PARKING LOT Our Florida market expert, Lesley Deutch, noted that GL Homes incorporated an on-site RV and boat parking area in its active-adult masterplan Valencia Lakes in Tampa, Florida. Marisa Lufkin, project manager at Valencia Lakes, notes that the RV parking area was a big selling point for the community when it first opened, and that all the spaces were reserved within the first year of home sales. There is now a waiting list. The spaces lease for $65 per month (paid up-front for a full year), about double the price of a space in a traditional RV parking facility. Although the RV parking area at Valencia is roughly 1.3 acres in size and has about 50 spaces, other communities with RV parking lots are as small as 0.5 to 0.6 acres with 25 to 30 spaces. Many people also use the spaces for boat storage (estimated at 10 percent to 25 percent of spaces). NO. 2 RV GARAGE ATTACHED TO THE HOME Las Vegas market expert Ken Perlman noticed that Lennar was having success with homes that include an RV garage at its Encore Collection project in Heritage, an active-adult community in the Cadence masterplan in Henderson, Nevada. According to Brian Bell, the on-site sales agent at Encore, the company offers one plan with an RV garage, and it’s the most popular of all its plans. Despite a premium of about $25,000, around 20 percent of want to just leave sitting out on the street. So, where do you park all those things?
the homes sold so far are the RV garage plan. The garage is 22 feet, 2 inches x 42 feet, 8inches, which is large enough for most (but not all) RVs, and it includes a 50-amp outlet, which can also be used to charge electric vehicles. Homeowners can clean out tanks through a sewage connection outside the back door of the garage. Lot sizes are about 6,000 square feet. NO. 3 ENTIRE COMMUNITY WITH RV GARAGES Arizona RV Homes is developing Valley View at Sunrise Hills, a new home community in Fort Mojave, Arizona, where every house includes an RV garage. The standard RV garage is 22 feet by 52 feet (1,144 square feet). However, Arizona RV Homes owner Ron Bernstein notes that the company can modify the garages. He has built some as deep as 70 feet and 80 feet. Lot sizes are a minimum of 9,500 square feet and include not only the enclosed RV garage, but an additional outside pad with full hook-ups that is large enough to accommodate a second RV. Some buyers have added additional one- or two-car garages in the backyard. One floor plan offered is a one-bedroom, one-bath house with just 766 square feet—in this case, your garage is bigger than your house! Many buyers at Valley View upgrade the garage and include air conditioning. One buyer added a loft with an eleva- tor in the garage. Homes range from about $175,000 to $350,000. NO. 4 RV PORT-HOMES Reunion Pointe by Bella Terra, located east of Mobile, Alabama, Pete Reeb is a principal at John Burns Real Estate Consulting, which he joined in 2013. The company, founded in 2001, provides independent research and consulting services related to the U.S. housing industry. Reeb has provided market consulting expertise and development advice to home builders, land developers, financial institutions and public agen- cies for nearly 30 years. In addition to custom consulting assignments, Reeb leads the firm’s litigation services. He has completed more than 3,000 market feasibility studies and consulting assignments, including analyses of large-scale mixed-use master-planned communities, residential subdivisions, condominium conversions, apartments, mobile home parks, custom lot projects, mixed-use developments, office parks, retail centers, industrial parks, golf courses, museums and resort properties. He is best known for his expertise spotting housing market trends in Southern Cal- ifornia, Nevada and Hawaii. Contact Reeb at 858-281-7216 or by email at preeb@ realestateconsulting.com. > Continued on :: PG 135
ADVERTISER INDEX
Affinity Loss Prevention Services
45 49 45
All Star Group
American Association of Private Lenders
Buy Cash Flow Properties Carrington Property Services
106 140
D.A.W.G.s
55 15 24 29 41
DHLC Investments, Inc.
The Entrust Group
Equistream
Fund That Flip, Inc. The Goins Group
113
Gorilla Capital
39 25
Investability
IRA Services Trust Company Little Pink Houses of America Norada Real Estate Investments
138
17 16 51
OdorXit
OwnAmerica Patch of Land
2 & 3
35
> Continued from :: PG 134 Real Value in Serving RVs
Platinum Investment Property Group
125
Real Property Management
11
Real Wealth Network
139
REIGuard RentFax
105 (p.7 of Fast Home Solutions Supplement) & 125
offers RV “port-homes.” These are homes with a covered outdoor area at the side of the home large enough to accom- modate an RV, but open to the air. According to the builder, 74 percent of its buyers prefer
107
Think Realty
6, 40 & 123
US Probate Leads
49 28
WeBuyHouses USA LLC
134 | think realty magazine november :: december 2016
thinkrealty . com / mag | 135
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