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The Mobile Home Park Broker's Tips & Tricks To Investing


May 18, 2023

In this episode of The MHP Broker’s Tips and Tricks podcast, Maxwell Baker, president of The Mobile Home Park Broker, interviewed Gabriel Elendu of ABT Water Management. Gabe’s company sells, installs and services digital water meter systems to manufactured home communities all over the country. 

This and every Tips and Tricks podcast episode is brought to you by The MHP Broker’s’  proprietary Community Price Maximizer. Use this four-step system to get the highest price possible for your mobile home park or RV community when you sell it through The MHP Broker. Guaranteed. Ask Max for details.  

Here Are the Show Highlights:

·       Max interviewed Gabriel Elendu for this episode. Gabe has been with his family’s business, ABT Water Management, for the last seven years. (Max, 0:22)

·       One trend Gabe is seeing all over the country is the high and rising cost of water, and park owners trying to contend with that and the additional challenge of dilapidated water metering systems. (Gabriel, 2:20)

·       Currently, the focus is on helping existing customers sort out their system needs. (Gabriel, 2:25)

·       The infrastructure into which the meter is placed plays a big part on how well your park’s meters will perform. That can means such obstacles as no heater tape or non-working outlets. (Gabriel, 3:51)

·       Full line replacement is often recommended. (Gabriel, 4:37)

·       The local climate often plays a part in how well water meters will perform. (Max, 5:28)

·       Another way to wear out the device prematurely is to install it vertically when it’s not supposed to be installed that way. (Gabriel, 5:34)

·       In reading the data, some systems pick up a signal just like a cellphone, while others operate off of a fixed-signal radio service. The cellular service technology is especially appropriate in rural areas and other locations where WiFi service isn’t common. If broadband is readily available, the radio service works fine. (Gabriel, 6:13)

·       These new “smart meters” eliminate human error in reading meters, and can send water usage data back to the park owner the next day rather than at the end of the billing period. That way, increased usage patterns by residents can be realized much sooner, before the bills escalate dangerously. You’ll also know almost immediately if residents are tampering with the meter to escape paying the full amount. (Gabriel, 7:47)

·       The meter system from Metron is so durable that it comes with a 20-year warranty, covering the entire system, including the radio. (Gabriel, 9:44)

·       The smart meters sell for $249.50, plus $2320 for the centralized data receiving station (which digitally reads the water usage data). (Gabriel, 10:45)

·       Gabriel’s company can also do the installation of a smart water meter for around $250 to $300, or the new owner can hire their own plumber to install. The installation cost can increase or decrease depending on such factors as the number of units to be installed, and the distance that must be traveled. (Gabriel, 11:48)

·       It’s quite possible to pay off a meter installation in nine months to two years, in water savings and billing accuracy. (Gabriel, 12:18)

·       ABT Water Management only charges a fee of $5 per month for data reading and reporting, and the billing of all tenants. (Gabriel, 14:09)

·       ABT can collect water bill payments from your tenants and send park owners a monthly check so the owners can send it to their municipality. (Gabriel, 15:13)

·       The meters operate off of a lithium ion battery that costs about $50 and comes with a 10-year warranty. (Gabriel, 17:59)

·       As far as books of interest to business owners, Gabriel recommends Be the One: to Execute Your Trust, by David Robinson and Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. (Gabriel, 20:29)

·       Gabriel is also known as rap singer Gabe Gizz, with a presence on Instagram. (Max, 21:04)

·       In addition to performing his own music, Gabriel has started a record label and has signed 16 other artists. (Gabriel, 22:37)

·       You can find him at Gabriel@ABTWater.com, or find Gabe Gizz on Instagram. (Gabriel, 23:47) 

Want to learn more about smart meters or other trends, strategies and technologies that make community ownership easier and more profitable? Just drop Max a line at info@themhpbroker.com or give him a call at 678-932-0200. He can put you in touch with Gabriel Elendu at ABT Water Management. Or reach out to Gabe directly at Gabriel@ABTWater.com. 

Power Quotes in This Episode:

“...what I've seen is a bigger factor, more so than the actual build of the meter, is the infrastructure that the meter is going into. So, if you have a dilapidated infrastructure, if you have, you know, no heat tape, which we see a lot your power outlets  aren't working underneaththe environment that the meter is going in is going to play a role rather than the actual meter itself.” (Gabriel, 3:51)

“...as opposed to getting your bill at the end of the month and having a huge bill, we're  actually detecting the high usage of water the next day because our meters flagged for a 24-hour continuous water flow through the meter. So, you have that advantage, as well as the advantage to know if people are tampering with the meters.” (Gabriel, 7:47)

“...it's a lot easier to get your tenant to pay a $100 water bill as opposed to a $700 water bill, because you weren't proactively pinpointing issues.” (Gabriel, 9:13)

I have meters pay themselves off in nine months, two years at the max, you know. Whereas with the (competitors’) no-money-down option, you could be paying for the meter for 10 years, long after the cost of the meter has been paid for.” (Gabriel, 12:18)

"Wow! So it’s five dollars a month for them to give you all the data, read the meters and do the billing.” (Max, 15:31)

I see people all the time, see parks all the time go under because the water usage is  completely out of control. So definitely, definitely, definitely look into getting metered. You don't need a fancy system. If you don't need the full automated system, at least get, you know, the manually read system where you walk around and read it just so you can at least quantify the amount being used and go back to your tenants.” (Gabriel, 18:51)