Marketing To Snowbirds
Imagine you had park full of residents that lived onsite for 3-5 months but paid for 12.
This is called a snowbird park and it’s a thing of beauty.
Part-time tenants is a fairly unique feature in real estate.
Time shares have it, but that business is more scam than real estate.
Student housing has it. But those landlords need those 3 “free” months to pick up empty beer cans and replace carpets from all the foam parties.
I think snowbird parks take the cake here.
They use drastically fewer utilities and cause less wear & tear on the pipes, roads, & your property manager.
Snowbird Lifestyle
Every winter there’s a great migration across the country (including Canada) where residents above the snow line travel south.
These snowbirds have residences they own, rent, or roll in with (RVs).
For example, the Coachella Valley in Southern California (Palm Springs) has long been a winter haven for wealthy snowbirds who love their hometown, just not when it’s -10 degrees.
These snowbirds happily pay their monthly lot rent year round to keep their winter sanctuary. But they do it for another reason too: community.
A surprising amount of snowbirds flock to the same MH or RV park year after year because they love their winter neighbors. It’s a great way for retirees to spend a ton of time with other couple friends. Plenty of older singles or widowers do it too.
Often many of these tenants will pay their full years rent upfront so they don’t have to see funds leave their bank account for a home they only use ~33% of the year.
Supplemental Tenants
Catering to snowbirds isn’t an all or nothing decision.
Park owners in growing, sunny markets might consider marketing vacant to snowbirds to either fill the last few vacancies and/or to use smaller lots that can’t fit a doublewide or larger singlewides. These spots are ideal for 500-800 sq ft park models or smaller RVs.
Here are some outreach strategies.
Facebook Groups
The ace in the hole for MHP operators; Facebook (we refuse to call it META) has many different snowbird groups.
For example - here’s a snowbird East Valley, AZ
Ask the group admin if you can post available lots/homes. Have a marketing person post tips, resources, special events, holiday discounts, etc. Or if you want to go big, sponsor an event or concert just for the group. If your park is well located near summer amenities or activities, it’s highly likely you’ll get paid back with park model sales or higher occupancy next season.
This is not as passive as google ads, but it’s cheap and effective considering how laser focused the audience is.
Amenities
Snowbirds want to spend time outside in the temperate southern winters. If they wanted to just sit inside they’d just stay in their icy home and crank up the heat.
Parks that work for snowbirds are typically close to an amenity base or activities - one reason why Palm Springs is so popular: Golf + pool + steak dinner is a pretty solid daily routine.
Properties hoping to cater to snowbirds might want to add specific amenities. Pickle-ball (aka fake tennis, aka outdoor ping pong) courts are all the rage, but it’s a trend that appears to have legs. We typically don’t love a lot of amenities (unless we’re getting resort style lot rents) but it’s a solid strategy for attracting snowbirds.
RVs
Chances are if you have an RV park in the sunbelt you’re well aware of the snowbird migration. Most resorts rely on the annual pilgrimage for a large portion of their revenue. Many of these rigs are not your grandpa’s RV, they are high-end hotel rooms on wheels.
This type of snowbird will want larger lots with upgraded electrical infrastructure and a higher-end location, often with direct access - or close proximity - to a lake or beach for their water toys. Huge bonus points if you have a dock or boat slips to rent to these tenants as well.
Local Resources
Your local area might have resources or ways to connect with snowbird residents. For example Alabama’s Gulf Shores attracts large amounts of winter residents & they have extensive resources for snowbirds (check out their link here).
Conclusion
If you own a park located near great amenities you could try marketing to a snowbirds to fill those last few vacancies. Plus, it’s not a bad idea to have another marketing skill set & nationwide source of potential customers to target if your local economy ever struggles.
Happy Trails,
MHP WEEKLY