650: Glamping, Campsites, and The Insane RV Park Revenue No One is Talking About w/Heather Blankenship

RV park investments are probably not the first thing you think of when somebody says “real estate investing.” You’re probably used to single-family homes, duplexes, apartments, or something that has to do with long-term, residential real estate. What if we told you there was a hidden niche in the real estate investing arena, one with less competition, sky-high revenues, and almost unlimited ways to cash flow. 

Heather Blankenship has been in the short-term rental investing niche for more than a decade. It was much different back when she got started. On a coast-to-coast road trip, Heather had the idea to buy an RV park. She had no experience, no money, and knew nothing about hospitality operations. She was, quite surprisingly, able to find and buy a $3.2M RV park, which she’s now upgraded into a $15M property. 

Don’t get her story wrong, this is not a “fake it till you make it” type scenario. Heather put in years' worth of long days, longer nights, and enormous effort to make properties just like this one, finally profit. Now, with three kids and a portfolio worth over $30M, Heather has become one of the leading figures in creative short-term rental investing. If you’ve never thought about glamping, camping, or RV park investing, this episode will seriously pique your interest. 

In This Episode We Cover

The massive cash flow you can earn from RV parks, campsites, and glamping 

How the short-term rental space is softening and what hosts can do to stand out

Ditching the traditional travel sites and why building a direct booking site may be the best move for investors 

The dozens of ways you can make money owning an RV park or campsite 

Commercial financing, permitting, and everything else you must know before buying a large short-term rental property 

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

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Hear Heather’s Interview on The “Real Estate Rookie” Podcast

Fanboy with Rob over Matthew McConaughey’s Interview

Campgrounds—The Investment You’ve (Probably) Never Thought About

Use the BiggerPockets Tools on Your Next Deal

Books Mentioned in the Show:

The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

Connect with Heather:

Heather's BiggerPockets Profile

Heather's Instagram

Click here to check the full show notes: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-650

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