Interview with Charlie Ansanelli of RockStack Capital

Passive Mobile Home Park Investing

Welcome back to the Passive Mobile Home Park Investing Podcast, hosted by Andrew Keel. On this episode of the Passive Mobile Home Park Investing Podcast, Andrew talks with Charlie Ansanelli. Charlie is currently the principal of RockStack Capital, he is a former tech entrepreneur turned full-time mobile home park investor and operator. He owns and operates 11 mobile home parks comprising of over 600 units and over $20 million in current market value. In addition to mobile home park investing, Charlie is also an angel investor and enjoys mentoring other entrepreneurs or people new to the real estate investing space.

Charlie brings his knowledge and experience from not only real estate and affordable housing but also from his entrepreneurial projects including what he learned from start up: ParkPlease. Andrew and Charlie do a deep dive into what they want to see change about the stigma of mobile home parks and “trailer parks”. They also talk about Charlie’s advice for passive investors who are interested in this asset class, along with his views on the future of the manufactured housing industry. They also touch on Charlie’s perfect mobile home park and what makes RockStack different from other operators in the space. Listen in to get several golden nugget take aways from Andrew and Charlie!

***Andrew Keel and Keel Team Real Estate Investments (Keel Team, LLC) do not endorse any interviewee. This interview is for informational purposes only and should not be depended upon for investment purposes. ***

Andrew Keel is the owner of Keel Team, LLC, a Top 100 Owner of Manufactured Housing Communities with over 1,500 lots under management. His team currently manages over 20 manufactured housing communities across ten states - AR, GA, IA, IL, IN, MN, NE, OH, PA and TN. His expertise is in turning around under-managed manufactured housing communities by utilizing proven systems to maximize the occupancy while reducing operating costs. He specializes in bringing in homes to fill vacant lots, implementing utility bill back programs, and improving overall management and operating efficiencies, all of which significantly boost the asset value and net operating income of the communities.

Andrew has been featured on some of the Top Podcasts in the manufactured housing space, click here to listen to his most recent interviews: https://www.keelteam.com/podcast-links. In order to successfully implement his management strategy Andrew's team usually moves on location during the first several months of ownership. Find out more about Andrew's story at AndrewKeel.com.

Are you getting value out of this show? If so, please head over to iTunes and leave the show a quick five-star review. I have a goal of hitting over 100 total 5-star reviews by the end of 2021, and it would mean the absolute world to me if you could help contribute to that. Thanks ahead of time for making my day with your five-star review of the show.

Talking Points:

00:21 - Welcome to the Passive Mobile Home Park Investing Podcast

01:40 - How Charlie got into the real estate business

07:25 - How 2020 has affected mobile home parks and Charlie’s other businesses

12:40 - Research, mobile home parks, and Charlie’s 31-lot park in Tucson, AZ

15:05 - Why Charlie is so interested in mobile home parks

17:14 - The stigma around trailer parks and how Andrew and Charlie want to change that

21:07 - The most important things passive investors need to know before investing in mobile home parks

24:00 - Angel investing and Charlie’s first investors

25:42 - Toughest hurdle for Charlie so far

29:15 - Charlie’s perfect mobile home park

32:28 - Hurdles the mobile home park industry will face moving forward

35:27 - RockStack Capital’s value proposition, what makes them different, and their goals for the future

41:17 - Getting a hold of Charlie

41:42 - Conclusion

Links & Mentions from This Episode:

Charlie’s email: [e-mail]

Keel Team's official website: https://www.keelteam.com/

Andrew Keel's official website: https://www.andrewkeel.com/

Andrew Keel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewkeel

Andrew Keel Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PassiveMHPin...

Andrew Keel Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/passivemhpi...

Twitter: @MHPinvestors

Quotes:

“I always start with the MSA. I want really strong demand. I don't think my criteria are too far from those. I want to be in the place of a diverse economy.” - Charlie Ansanelli

“Something I'm afraid of is probably rent control regulation. This goes back to what we were talking about where we are coming in and we are improving the communities.” - Charlie Ansanelli

“Talk to folks who have scaled already, ‘Hey, what's your model? How did you figure this out?’ But not necessarily mimicking that because you got to also say, ‘Okay, well, what are my goals? What do I feel like I need in the business?’ Learn but also don't just follow. That's important, too.” - Charlie Ansanelli

“It was a big monthly festival in the Bay Area that people loved. That was a big event. We're excited to bring that back and we are bringing that back to the Bay Area. But it’s not a good year for the event industry.” - Charlie Ansanelli