Top Tech Tools for MHC Management in 2023

by Andrew Keel

In today’s fast-paced world, technology has become integral in almost every industry, including manufactured home community management. Although “technology” and “mobile homes”, as many residents still refer to them, may seem like an odd combination, the truth is that in 2023, new and innovative technology is being utilized more than ever before in order to streamline and optimize operations for manufactured housing community owners and investors.

Many communities are still managed by momand-pop operators who struggle with tasks such as communicating with residents, and fixing deferred maintenance. Fortunately, the advent of new technologies has made it possible to overcome these setbacks and run properties more efficiently and effectively.

This article will highlight some of my favorite tech tools used for community management in 2023. These tools are designed to help manufactured housing community owners and investors manage and optimize their assets, improve resident satisfaction, and ultimately boost profits. »

An online payment system that streamlines rent collection. It provides a simple and secure way to pay rent and also offers various key features such as customizable payment options, automatic payment reminders, and mobile payment capabilities.

• Pricing: Contact for a quote

• Website: www.paylease.com

AmRent

This is a resident screening service that enables property managers to perform background, credit, and eviction checks on potential renters and buyers. It helps parks evaluate risk, reduce turnover, and provide key services, including employment verification, and rent payment reporting.

• Pricing: Contact the company for pricing

• Website: www.amrent.com

Trello

Here is a project management software that provides a visual platform for organizing and delegating tasks, along with customizable workflows, and checklists for effective project management.

• Pricing: Four pricing plans from $0/month to $17.50/month based on annual billing

• Website: www.trello.com

Slack

Slack is a team communication tool that is used to streamline internal communications. It offers group chat functionality, file-sharing capabilities, and integrations with other tools to improve team collaboration and productivity.

• Pricing: Starting at $7.25 per person/month billed annually and with customizable Enterprise Grid plan available by quote.

• Website: www.slack.com

This offering is an investor relations platform designed for real estate syndications that facilitates reporting, communication, and investment management. It provides a centralized platform for investor engagement, and includes key features such as automated distributions, secure document storage, and performance analytics.

• Pricing: Three pricing suites available, from $55/ month to $95/month

• Website: www.investnext.com

Flex

Flex is a rent payment service that allows users to split their monthly rent into two payments, helping to improve cash flow, and simplify rent payment. Renters can use Flex to build their credit history and establish positive payment habits, while owners benefit from guaranteed on-time rent payments.

• Pricing: $14.99 monthly membership plus payment processing fee

• Website: www.getflex.com

Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) is a suite of cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools developed by Google. It includes a range of applications, including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Calendar, and more, all designed to enhance team collaboration and productivity.

• Pricing: $6/user/month to $18/user per month, based on a one-year commitment, with Enterprise pricing available by quote

• Website: www.workspace.google.com

This is a screen recording tool for creating and sharing videos. The features include voiceover recording, video editing capabilities, and annotations. It can be used for various training purposes, such as staff onboarding, safety training, and policy reporting.

• Pricing: Three plans available - Starter $0/creator/ month, Business $12.50/creator/month (based on annual billing), and Enterprise plan by quote

• Website: www.loom.com

This is a password management tool that securely stores and encrypts passwords and login credentials. It helps protect against data breaches and cyberattacks and allows users to access and manage passwords across multiple devices easily.

• Pricing: Business $7.99 per user/month, Teams

Starter Pack $19.95/month for up to 10 people, plus Enterprise plan for large users

• Website: www.1password.com smrtPhone smrtPhone is a cloud-based phone system that provides advanced call routing and communication features. It offers call forwarding, conference calling, and voicemail-to-email services while allowing for easy management of calls.

• Pricing: $42/month to $84/month, billed annually, with the Enterprise plan available by quote

• Website: www.smrtphone.io

Hubstaff

Businesses use this time-tracking and workforce management platform to monitor remote employee time, productivity, and attendance. It also features payroll capabilities as well as project and task management tools to help teams stay on track with their work.

• Pricing: $0/user per month to $8.33/user per month, based on annual billing, with a minimum fee starting at $140. Customized Enterprise plan is also available by quote.

• Website: www.hubstaff.com

Slybroadcast

This is a cloud-based automated messaging platform to send out pre-recorded audio messages, such as rent payment reminders, or survey requests using its ringless voicemail feature. It offers an automated callback service to help businesses set up and manage call campaigns without manual calling.

• Pricing: Pay As You Go and Monthly Delivery plans are available with pricing starting at $8/month based on the number of successful deliveries

• Website: www.slybroadcast.com

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is an AI-driven NLP platform that can automatically generate detailed listing descriptions for homes for sale, allowing them to appear high on search engine results. »

• Pricing: Free in BETA with a $20/month premium subscription option

• Website: www.openai.com/blog/chatgpt

Matterport is the most commonly used 3D imaging technology, allowing users to experience properties in 360 degrees, creating digital twins of physical spaces with detailed measurements and data. Provides a way to explore properties online and create immersive 3D walkthroughs.

• Pricing: $0/month to $69/month based on the number of active spaces and users, excluding camera purchase price, with the Enterprise plan available by quote

• Website: www.matterport.com

Here we have an accounts payable automation software designed to streamline the process of invoices and payments. It simplifies by combining invoicing, ACH/EFT processing, and accounts payable into one secure platform with customizable data analytics.

• Pricing: Contact the company for pricing and to request a demo

• Website: www.avidxchange.com

Zoom

The online video conferencing platform that securely connects people from anywhere for meetings, collaboration, and virtual events. Zoom provides interactive streaming, cloud recording, and powerful group collaboration features.

• Pricing: Four plans available, from the Free Basic to the Business Plus plan at $250/year per user, plus custom Enterprise pricing

• Website: www.zoom.us

Reonomy is commercial real estate intelligence data and a platform that empowers users to build advanced analytics, discover investment opportunities, and access ownership data. It combines public records with proprietary data to enable informed decision making for companies of any size.

• Pricing: Contact the company for pricing

• Website: www.reonomy.com

Finally, we have a training and onboarding platform enabling businesses to quickly streamline processes, equip personnel with policy knowledge, learn organizational structure, and effectively orientate new employees.

• Pricing: $99/month to $199/month, based on the number of seats and annual billing

• Website: www.trainual.com

As a manufactured home community owner or investor, your time is valuable. Consider the following scenario: What if you could reduce your time spent on management by five to 10 hours each week with the help of these technology tools? How much would that be worth to you? $500, $1,000, or even $10,000-plus per month?

To optimize your community’s performance and to save time, I recommend that you carefully analyze your business systems and spend the time to fully understand the capabilities that these tech tools offer. This list of top tech tools for park management is a great starting point, but this is not meant to be an exhaustive list. There are many additional useful tech tools not mentioned here that can help you achieve significant time savings.

I would like to thank the several community operators who provided input for the above list of tech tools, I hope manufactured housing industry professionals will benefit from our combined insights. MHV

Andrew Keel is the CEO of Keel Team Mobile Home Park Investments. He currently owns and self-manages just under 40 mobile home parks across 16 states. His business model includes buying value-add mobile home communities, fixing the deferred maintenance, and holding them long-term with agency financing. Please visit KeelTeam. com for more information.

We are excited to announce the release of our 17th annual Manufactured Home Community Financing Handbook and Market Update. What started as a niche sector has quickly grown over the years into the tremendous industry we are proud to be a part of today.

To learn more and download your copy, visit wellsfargo.com/mhc