School of Life Hacks
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    A row of gravel pads in a small RV park at dusk, one older motorhome sitting level on blocks with warm light in its windows and a step at the door.

    Unit Economics

    What a pad rents for, what a mobile home really costs to place, the $7,500 unit, and payback in months.

    Module 2 of 104 lessonsWritten in full1 worksheet
    Start this moduleThe whole course

    The lessons

    All 4, in the order they are read.

    1. 1. What a pad rents for
      Long-term pad rent runs $350 to $700 rural and $1,200 and up metro; the unit lets you charge above the bare pad.
    2. 2. The mobile home comparison
      Placing a manufactured home costs $10,000 to $70,000 or more before you buy the home, which is the whole reason the salvage unit wins.
    3. 3. The $7,500 unit
      The cap covers purchase, transport, and refurb; it is a rule, not a target, and the split is the owner's number.
    4. 4. Payback in months
      Divide the cap by the monthly rent and you have the payback; at the cited rent ranges it is under two years everywhere and under a year in many markets.

    The worksheet

    Per-unit ROI sheet

    One unit, one column. The example column uses the $7,500 cap and a rent inside the cited ranges. Lines that read 'Your quote goes here' are the numbers only your market can supply: your hauler, your handyman, your agent. Fill them before you bid; the example column shows the shape, not your answer.

    Per-unit ROI sheet
    LineExampleYour numberHow to compute
    Salvage purchase incl. auction feesYour quote goes here—Your winning bid plus buyer fees and any broker fee. Module 3.
    Transport to parkYour quote goes here—Quote from your hauler for the actual distance. Module 4.
    Refurb, standard scopeYour quote goes here—Materials plus paid labor plus inspections. Module 5.
    All-in unit cost (cap)$7,500—Sum of the three lines above. Must be at or under $7,500.
    Monthly rent, pad plus unit$650—Your market. Rural pad rent $350 to $700, metro $1,200 and up per https://latestcost.com/average-cost-of-long-term-rv-parks/; unit rents above bare pad.
    Vacancy allowance1 month/yr—Use one month a year until your own turnover data replaces it.

    9 further rows in the downloadable sheet.